Jenna's Romantic Notions

For Kicks : 6 Sentence Sunday

2012-01-29T08:02:00.000-08:00

“It is a date, Breeze.” He backed her up to her side of the car, stepping closer so she couldn’t duck away.

“No, it’s not,” she said, a hint of laughter danced in her eyes.

“Then why am I doing this?” He ran his finger along her jawbone and her breath hitched as he tipped her chin up. Her eyes darkened to a cobalt blue as he neared, long lashes fluttering closed as he lowered his mouth over hers.

I've seen the #sixsunday hashtag all over Twitter, so decided to check it out. It's easy peasy - just post six sentences from your latest release, backlist, coming soon, WIP, whatevs. Not sure how to get listed on their website, but maybe they post about that during the week.

Blog Happenings Today

2012-01-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

It's release day! FOR KICKS has arrived. Today, I'm spreading the word at...

http://redheadsreviewitbetter.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-interview-with-jenna-bayley.html ( & Dinner contest for a $5 Amazon e-giftcard)

Samhain Publishing feature - with review highlights

First Chapters - features the first chapter of For Kicks

Blog Happenings Today

2012-01-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

The Pink Heart Society: Male On Monday :: David Beckham: The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke shares the hero inspiration for her latest release, the ever ogleable David Beckham.

Do you want to win a $5 Amazon e-giftcard? Just head over to The PHS and comment on this question...

What is the sexiest thing about a man? For me it's not about his ability to attract a woman, but how he keeps her interested in him forever. Now that is a skill.

Jenna Bayley-Burke with Interview, Review and Giveaway!!! @ Romance Book Craze. Find out what I do in my free time (HA!) and comment to win a $5 Amazon e-giftcard.

VISIT AND GIVEAWAY WITH JENNA BAYLEY-BURKE,AUTHOR OF “FOR KICKS”… @ My Book Addiction and More. Comment to win a $5 Amazon e-giftcard.

Blog Tour

2012-01-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

I'm wandering the internet, passing out $5 Amazon e-giftcards at most stops. That way, if you've already picked up For Kicks, you can use it to buy one of my other titles. Or gum. I can't stop you. :D

Places to find me this month ::

9 - Authors On The Cheap

13- The Pink Heart Society (Fill The Well column)

16 - Books & Kisses (interview & comment contest)
22 - Guilty Pleasures (review)
23 -The Pink Heart Society (Male On Monday & sexy man contest)
23 - Romance Book Craze (interview & comment contest)
24 - My Book Addiction (interview & comment contest)
24 - Red Heads Review It Better (Dinner contest)
24 - Samhain Publishing
25 - Delilah Devlin's blog (Curiosity contest)
26 - Random Thoughts From An Unbalanced Mind (What's Your Sign contest)

For Kicks

Pink Macaroni & Cheese

2012-01-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

My kids love mac & cheese...from a box. We've gone through a half dozen recipes trying to find what they dislike about the homemade version. We finally figured out they don't like the consistency of a flour thickened cheese sauce. OK...

I was flattened to find out how easy it is to make mac & cheese if you don't bother making cheese sauce. Ready for it?

a box of mac, cooked and drained.
a can of crushed tomatoes
a pint of 1/2 & 1/2 (even the fat-free version)

a bag of shredded cheese...we like the mexican blend, but cheddar, colby jack, and Italian have all done right by us. This is a great way to use up all your cheesy odds and ends.

That is IT. Plop it in a pan and bake until bubbly...like 30 minutes.
My kiddos are particular, so they like a crunchy top, but not with breadcrumbs. So...I put slivers of butter on top. They also like bacon in it. I'm just glad they're not eating neon cheese.

Books-n-Kisses Interview

2012-01-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out my author interview and giveaway today at Books-n-Kisses!

The Pink Heart Society: Fill The Well Friday :: The Fun Plan

2012-01-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Pink Heart Society: Fill The Well Friday :: The Fun Plan: As The Pink Heart Society looked toward a new year, editor Michelle Styles thought to set aside her Fill The Well column. Jenna Bayley-Bur...

FOR KICKS Reviews

2012-01-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

It's so exciting when reviews start to come in for a story. I write to entertain, so I live for the idea that I managed to perk up someone's afternoon :)

Romance Book Craze served me up four martinis! What is really funny, is that I am working on a book where the heroine is drinking a blue martini.

"I loved this story. It was funny, witty, sweet, and sexy. I could not put this book down. Oh and did I mention the love scenes? Oh my...way to melt the panties." - Romance Book Craze

"This was very entertaining read with an uber hot ex-athlete with an inventive use of chocolate. This is a great book to spend a cold afternoon absorbed in." - Night Owl Reviews

Banking On Readers

2012-01-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

When my last book came out, I did my usual promo -- website & blog ads, interviews, book giveaways. Sales were great, so it's a solid plan. But one of my most loyal readers contacted me with a suggestion.

Since she pre-orders my books, and has them all, winning a free copy isn't a big deal to her. She's wonderful about talking me up to her other well-read friendlies, some of whom wind up winning my giveaways :)

But it got me thinking that I could take my advertising budget for a book and instead of only offering books as giveways, I could also offer e-giftcards so readers could buy the book themselves. This way, if they already have the book I'm singing about, they can get a backlist story, or support another author.

It's a little scary to branch out and try something new, but if it works, it's better for me and my reader lovelies.

I'll be giving away a $5 e-giftcard at each of my blog posts this month for either Amazon or B&N or your favorite bookish site. I'll link each post on this blog.

And I'm having my first Twitter contest. Every day for 25 days I'll post a new FOR KICKS Business Travel Tip. Collect them all and at the end email me the list to be entered to win a $25 e-giftcard. That's enough for my entire ebook collection, or a couple of the paperbacks...like PRIVATE SCANDAL, which will be released next month.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @jennabb to collect the tips (or just collect them from the Twitter feed on the sidebar of this blog if you don't tweet).

Adventure List - 2012

2012-01-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

I love my adventures. I have such fun, and manage to drag my lovelies into the joy zone with me. With the health issues that hit the fan last month, I'm not sure how much I'll be up for, so I made a list of things I can do close to home. I'm excited already!

1. Spanish Coffee @ Huber's

2. OMSI After Dark

3. Slappycakes

4. Bob’s Red Mill Tour

5. Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden

6. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

7. Rose Garden

8. Portland Saturday Market

9. Shakespeare in the Park

10. Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade

11. Oktoberfest @ Mt Angel

12. Tea @ The Heathman

13. Festival of Lights @ The Grotto

What fun do you have planned this year?

You Can Tell A Lot About A Person....

2011-12-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

Everybody likes to spy their friends' bookshelves to see what they've read. Or claim to have read. The books we read show our interests, infatuations, and aspirations. Or they should. May have to re-tool my To-Be-Read ile for next year. This year was a little heavy on diet books.

Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson (Kimani)
The Feel Good Life by Stephanie Rowe
The Sicilian Boss's Mistress by Penny Jordan (Presents)
Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life by Jillian Michaels
The Secret: The Power by Rhonda Byrne
The Dukan Diet by Dr Pierre Dukan
The 17 Day Diet by Dr Mike Moreno
Conquering King's Heart by Maureen Child (Desire)
Texan's Wedding-Night Wager by Charlene Sands (Desire)
More Than A Millionaire by Emilie Rose (Desire)
The Key: The Missing Secret for Attracting Anything You Want by Joe Vitale
Hot Westmoreland Nights by Brenda Jackson (Desire)
What a Westmoreland Wants by Brenda Jackson (Desire)
Here Comes The Groom by Karina Bliss (Supers)
Feels Like The First Time by Tawny Weber (Blaze)
Spontneous by Brenda Jackson (Blaze)
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
Eat Your Feelings by Heather Whaley
Claimed! by Vicki Lewis Thompson (Blaze)
Ambushed! by Vicki Lewis Thompson (Blaze)
The Naked Mom by Brooke Burke
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
The Gabriel Method by Jon Gabriel
Proud Wife by Kate Walker (Presents)
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Afterlives of the Rich and Famous by Sylvia Browne
Kardashian Konfidential
The Everything Thyroid Diet Book by Clara Schneider
Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
The Insulin-resistance Diet by Hart & Grossman
The Everything Guide to Thyroid Disease by Friedman & Wu
America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas
Billionaire MD by Olivia Gates (Desire)
Beat This! Cookbook by Ann Hodgeman
Deliciously Dangerous by Karen Anders (Blaze)
Make Your Move by Samantha Hunter (Blaze)
Cinch! by Cynthis Sass
Once Upon A Scandal by Delilah Marvelle (HQN)
Prelude to a Scandal by Delilah Marvelle (HQN)

Unexpected December

2011-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hanukkah Bush

I had so much planned for this month. Writing, of course, but also the holiday parties at school for my boys, Breakfast with Santa, The Nutcracker, Zoolights, cookie baking...I'd even intended a little Hanukkah get together for their friends today. And while the shopping for my kiddos is done, extended family gifts are not. And I can't just head to the store. Because...

Working the pole :)

I've spent the week in the hospital. After some testing and a scary phone call, a friend took on my babes at a moments notice, while another drove me to the ER. Where I had to wait for an hour. Made me wonder what scaring me was about.

Then we met with the doctor who explained diverticulitis (it's icky, don't click if you're easily squicked out) can be very scary indeed when it perforates, which is what had happened. Joy. They got my pain under control and loaded me up with antibiotics and stopped all eating. After a few loopy days, we tried liquids, but had to pull back. I've missed some fun things I had planned, but as long as once they let me out, I don't have to come back, all will be good.

Everyone, do something fun for me today, will you?

And Happy Hanukkah!

The Pink Heart Society: Wildcard Weekend : Favorite Category Romances of 2...

2011-12-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

The Pink Heart Society: Wildcard Weekend : Favorite Category Romances of 2...: The Pink Heart Society celebrates all things category romance. We asked some of our favorite contributors to share with us the best category romance they read this year...

Las Vegas Weekend - Sunday

2011-12-11T17:13:00.001-08:00

Though we were up until the wee hours giggling about how amazing the Katy Perry concert was, I popped out of bed bright and early. I escaped the room to spend some quality time with The Village People...the slot machine game. The cocktail waitress was a doll, bringing me both coffee and mimosas. I love Las Vegas!

Once I thought the other girls might have stirred (OK, so I was up $20 and didn't want to give it back to the machine) I checked upstairs. All it took to get them packed up and ready to go was the promise of brunch at Sugar Factory. The place is simply that good.

We spent the day exploring the free stuff Vegas has to offer - fountains, waterfalls, flamingos, lions, the live statues in the Venetian. We didn't manage to do anything on our agenda -- the roller coaster, gondolas, and CSI Experience. It was a bummer since I know the girls looked forward to it.

We did manage to laugh ourselves silly at Madame Tussaud's wax museum. We texted pix to one friend's husband and daughter...but they weren't fooled. Too bad, since I was all about getting my picture taken in bed with Hef!

Every time I go to Las Vegas, I come home with a list of things I want to do next time. I can't wait to go back!

Las Vegas Weekend - Saturday

2011-12-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

Here's the part where I share what not to do on a girls weekend in Las Vegas when you have ADD.

Do NOT leave your phone in the car on the way to the airport. Then, your friendlies won't be too keen on letting you wander the city alone, since they don't have a way to reach you and they do not want to have to call your husband and explain that they lost his sugarmama. You have to do what they want to do, even if it is shopping and you don't like to shop in Las Vegas. (Oregon has no sales tax, so I don't like to shop anywhere else, no hard feelings Vegas, I'm just cheap like that)

Do NOT forget to put the battery in your camera before you leave the hotel room for the day. You'll have to lug around the heavy camera, and since it's your only form of distraction from shopping... your ADD will flare like it hasn't in decades.

Lesson learned. My frustrations aside, from the moment we woke up, Saturday was all about the Katy Perry concert that night. I may have influenced my lovelies to go to Sugar Factory for the best breakfast ever. And they might have explored the Forums Shoppes and Miracle Mile. I think we even managed to find a cute waiter at RiRa for dinner.

But it was all about Katy. We love Katy. Some of us went a little wild for Katy and bought new outfits. There were hot pink wigs. Feather earings. Lots of mascara. And a bedazzled bra.

And did we ever LOVE that concert! Such a fun combination of Candyland, Alice in Winderland and Wizard of Oz. The amazing staging and fabulous music came together to create a magical event. Such a great time.

After the concert I was too keyed up to go back to the room, but since we were in our own hotel, the girls trusted me enough to let me hit the slots. I got to spend quality time with my favorite game - Invaders from the Planet Moolah! I love slot machines. I always wind up breaking even, so for me they are like video games. Great for camling my frazzeled mind. The champagne helped too.

Las Vegas Weekend - Friday

2011-12-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

After much planning, scheduling, and bargaining, my favorite group of desperate housewives managed to book a weekend in Vegas all to ourselves! No husbands, no kids... Heaven, is that you calling?

We packed a whole lot into our 3 days, which proved how much I love Las Vegas. There is never a dull moment in that city. Plus, since the town never shuts down, you can do as much as your lack of sleep allows!

The trip started out in style with a limo ride from the airport. Our driver even gave us a tour of the strip, and took our picture at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.

After a fab lunch at RiRa Irish Pub, we headed to the Minus 5 Ice Bar. Talk about hilarious - I was expecting some kind of sexy igloo with a cozy lodge and floor length mink coats...but I got a walk in freezer with ice sculptures and coats and hats made out of muppet fur! The drinks were tasty and the bartenders were fun, but the chick with the camera was quite the sourpuss. I really wished they'd let me bring my camera in, the whole experience would have been much more fun had we managed to get more than one photo. The place is really only good for photo ops...and if you can't get that...

And then I got married. HA! The girls didn't want me to pack along my laptop, so I did some hands on research while I was there for the marriage proposal book. Checking out wedding chapels is a part of my job...not even going to pretend I didn't enjoy every minute.

The first night we took a helicopter tour of the strip. I've never been in a helicopter and it was amazing...for me. It made one of my chickies claustraphobic, and another nearly lost her Irish pub lunch in her ice bar muppet fur hat!

Once our tummies settled, we needed dinner...at a Pampas Brazillian grill. We magically got a private dining room and the servers came in with swords of meat for us to try. Faboosh. Definitely a place I'd take my husband or brothers to.

After a round of shopping, it was time to get this set of Mommies out of their heels. We're used to sneakers...or in my case...socks!

The Pink Heart Society: Male On Monday - 12 Men of Christmas

2011-11-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

The Pink Heart Society: Male On Monday - 12 Men of Christmas: You don't mind hearing about handsome men again, do you? Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke is sure you'll understand her current...

The Pink Heart Society: Must Watch Friday :: 12 Men of Christmas

2011-11-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

The Pink Heart Society: Must Watch Friday :: 12 Men of Christmas: Tis the season for Lifetime Holiday Movies! There is nothing better on a bustery winter day than cuddling on the couch with a good romance. ...

Primal Chocolate Bread

2011-11-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

Apparently, the kiddos and I are enjoying primal quickbreads! We're baking almost every day - two loafs at a time! I love to bake, and the way the house smells when something delish is in the oven. And I love that my kiddos haven't even noticed they're getting less grains.

Primal Chocolate Bread

Heat oven to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter

2 eggs

1/4 melted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup applesauce
2T cocoa powder
2T honey or maple syrup

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes

Primal Cheese Bread!

2011-11-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

My new favorite recipe for quick-breads works for savory loafs too! You can only imagine how relieved I am. Makes me want to make some tomato bisque or broccoli cheese soup...or even a grilled cheese sandwich.
Primal Cheese Bread

Heat oven to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter

2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 t baking powder
pinch of garlic powder, onion powder...if you have it

Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes It smells...so good! Next time, I think I'll make it was parmesan and a pinch of dried oregano. Bread is back!

Woah There

2011-11-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, I need to post about Las Vegas and Thanksgiving and such...but DOOOOD. The neighbors tree is in my yard! Yelp!

Primal Cherry Almond Fudge Bread

2011-11-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

I love cherry almond fudge ice cream. I miss it, but not enough to deal with the post-sugar hangover. Instead, I tried to recreate the flavor in a quick bread. Since my standard recipe uses almond butter, that was covered. For fudgy flavor I used mini-chocolate chips. Now cherries...

There are two options. Soak dried cherries in hot water, and puree. Or, if you have fresh or frozen cherries, place them in a saucepan with a bit of water. As they cook, smoosh the cherries with a fork. When they are rich and syrupy, puree. Either way makes a tasty cherry mixture for this recipe, topping pancakes, or serving over simple sauteed chicken. Yum.

PRIMAL CHERRY ALMOND FUDGE BREAD

Heat over to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup cherry puree
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan and make for 40-45 minutes.

My little diva seemed to like this one best...but it could be all the chocolate. Either way, I'm glad to have found a way to lessen the amount of grains she eats.

Primal Applesauce Bread

2011-11-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

After months of no bread, I seem to have an addiction to the promal variety. This version is amazing toasted with butter.

Heat over to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter

2 eggs

1/4 melted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup applesauce
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda
1 T cinnamon

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan and make for 40-45 minutes.

The Las Vegas Plan

2011-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to be spending this weekend on a girls-only getaway to Las Vegas! I love Las Vegas -- the vibrancy and expectancy of the place. And this time I get to see it through fresh eyes since two of the chicas have never been.

We have big plans...which makes me wonder how many we'll actually get to on our adventure We each chose one thing to do...and I've been wondering what this says about our character...

Moi:: Minus 5 Ice Bar -- because it looks cool on TV. And I get to wear a fur coat and a Russian hat.
Tease:: Helicopter tour -- because we've never been on a helicopter, and she's never been to Vegas so why not see it in all its glory! (did I mention she has horrid motion sickness?)
J:: New York New York roller coaster -- this is my friend who went ziplining with me...she likes this stuff. It's her birthday, or I might skip it.
YaYa:: CSI Crime Scene Experience -- I think she's always secretly wanted to be a Charlie's Angel
Lass :: Brazillian restaurant -- Bring that sword over here, I want some meat!

I swear, we are all perfectly respectable, happily married-with-children ladies... which means we're due for some fun. Which is probably why we're looking to work in Coyote Ugly (think they'll let us Zumba on the bar?)

Workshop Notes :: Writing Sex with Delilah Marvelle

2011-11-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

After missing my local RWA group meetings for an entire year, I decided I needed to go and check in with my local writerly peeps. And because this month's workshop promised to be a scorcher. After all, Delilah Marvelle writes sizzling historicals, who better to talk about writing sexy?

Here are my notes::

What really makes for an interesting sex scene is delving into your character in a way you don’t in the rest of the narrative. We are different people when the clothes come off. What changes when you are stripped down to basics?

• Have a plan with your love scene. What are you digging for in that love scene – kinky, steamy, rough, soft, emotional, make-up…what?
• Do a sexual arc for your characters. This is reflected in love scenes. Who are they and how do they relate to their partner.
• Be original. Don’t worry about writing the perfect love scene. They don’t always need a bed, to be completely naked.
• Use the language the character would use. Just because they are having sex, doesn’t mean they have a different background
• The end result is not the climax itself, but what the reader takes away from the scene once the climax is over.

When a love scene is written really well, you learn something about the characters. In a love scene you should be exchanging something unexpected between the characters. Some kind of revelation. Doesn’t have to be huge, something a reader would miss if they skim the scene.

Dialogue in a sex scene has one person – to express mutual desire and affection. Talk, look, be dirty. Humor is always helpful, makes things pop.

Less is sometimes more, especially when it comes to dialogue in a love sceen. You Tarzan, me Jane applies. Centers on looks, desires, feelings.

Erotic Inspirations – erotic photography (these images are from Duclerck free erotic magazine)

Love scenes should be a 3some not a 2some the writer should be that involved

Be a sensualist, find your inner French girl, slow your thoughts down and bring out those moments, make it special.

Primal Banana Bread

2011-11-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Last week's Primal Pumpkin Bread didn't make it a day, so more gluten-free treats were in order. And I just happened to have a lone ripe banana. In a house of nearly green banana eaters, these baby was heading for the freezer (chopped up frozen rip banana makes for great smoothies). And now...it is bread.

Hubba Bubba wants me to mention that he can tell there is no grain in the 'bread', and that I should not be calling it bread and...blah blah blah. He's mad that banana won't be in his smoothie.

PRIMAL BANANA BREAD

Heat over to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::
1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1 ripe banana, mashed
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda
A handful of walnuts

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan. Top with walnuts (or chop and stir them in, but my diva doesn't do walnuts, so having them on top makes them easy to remove) and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Yummy plain, amazing with cultured butter.

I really enjoy having a baking outlet again. And something quick for breakfast. I don't always have time for an omelet.

Primal Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

In July I stepped into the world of the Primal Blueprint. I'd read the book a month before at the reccomendation of my Zumba instructor, and a lot of the science behind it resonated with me. As did knowing that if I didn't get my metabolic syndrome under control, it wouldn't be long until I'd be jabbing by fingertips -- a scary thing for anyone, but especially a writer who taps keys with said fingertips for hours a day.

I'm doing well on it - 35 pounds closer to goal weight, fewer headaches and tummy troubles, and my plantar faciaitis is even improving. I can't figure out how to make it jive with traveling - though watching a friend do it at the last conference does give me hope. Not enough to skip conference cheesecake this time, but maybe someday.

I've been on it long enough to notice the side-effects of stepping off the plan. The first few days after are like a hangover. Which always leaves me wondering why I stepped off in the first place.

I do miss baking, though. And eating cakes, cookies and muffins. My grandfather once told me that if I ate nothing but fluffy, flaky things I'd be a fluffy, flaky person. Now, he was talking about my odd obsession with fruit salad - the kind that is more marshmallow than fruit and full of coconut flakes. It was a joke. But it did stick with me, making me wonder if muffins caused my muffin top.

I've decided it wasn't muffins, but what I was baking with. I strive to be grain-free, and limit starches and processed foods as much as I can. But it is pumpkin bread season, and since I missed zucchini bread season (made it for the kids, though I'm starting to feel guilty for giving them grains) I didn't want to let another favorite food pass me by.

So, I found a way to do it healthfully. Without grains and an entire cup of sugar.

PRIMAL PUMPKIN BREAD

I use a small loaf pan...I think it is 3x8 or so. I make them small because usally they are just for me, and since there are no preservatives they won't last forever. But, my princess hasn't met a paleo bread she doesn't like, so I may have to up my quantity.

Heat oven to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 t cinnamon
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda

Add in chocolate chips or raisins -- I've been using regular sized chocolate chips, but just found the organics in mini-chips, which would work better.

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Be amazed by the results, and don't expect the bread to last long. You won't be tempted by the Starbucks offerings again.

Private Scandal Review

2011-11-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Such a well-written review from Joyfully Reviewed. I wonder where Vanessa was when I was struggling to write the query letter for this book ;) She did a great job summing up the book.

Private Scandal is an engrossing tale which involves you from the beginning until the end.
Private Scandal was an engaging read that had this reader wondering if there would be sequels to tie up those things left open in the end.

And yes...sequels are planned :) Thanks for asking.

Twitter Grammer Lessons

2011-11-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Twitter is educational. Yes, some people post it to say they are going to have a snack, but today there was a fab grammer tweet stream going on, all sparked by this Tweet from Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches Trashy Books.

Isn't it funny how writing lesson sticks w you? I.e: never leave "this" or "that" undefined. E.g. "there is so much bacon in this." *twitch*

Here are some of the great responses

Grammar Rules: "i" before "e", except after "c" and in "Medeiros". Teresa Medeiros
Comma before FANBOYS. For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. - Vivian Arend
Write simply. If nobody talks like that, nobody wants to read it. Amanda Garlock
"A LOT. TWO WORDS. EVERY TIME." Elizabeth DeHoff
HS English teacher had a sign on her door that said "Abandon HOPEFULLY all ye who enter here." Her pet peeve, became mine. Laura Curtis
There is 'a rat' in separate! Jill Myles
People are whos! Not thats! Makes me crazy when people say "She's the one that taught me" Or, "He's the one that got away." Sarah Maclean
"embarass" only has one 'r', just like "bare ass". JenniB
the difference betwen "principle" and "principal"- the Principal is your pal (but not really). Thank you, Ramona Quimby! RedHeadedGirl
God created spell check for a reason. Use it. Christina Dodd
In my 10 years as English teacher, I did not let a student leave my class without knowing how to spell "definitely". Julie Cohen
Exclamation points should be used sparingly. You get maybe one for your whole life. Use it well. Christina Mctighe
Apostrophes indicate a possessive, not a plural. If your doormat says "The Smith's", I assume it is labeled to deter theft. Lady Liberal

My editor knows I get creative with grammar, but maybe this will help a little.

Foodalicious : Cinnamon Rolls

2011-11-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Bread dough

Cinnamon

Brown sugar

Butter

Icing (butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract)

This Week in Jenna Land...

2011-11-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's NaNoWriMo!! I've had such good luck with the NaNo program. I love writing enmasse and sharing daily accomplishments. Writing is solitary, so knowing there are so many others out there trying to do the same thing I am...is heartwarming.

This week I need to...

Write 8500 words. On a story I have yet to think up. Gotcha.
Get my hair did...I missed my last appointment, so I'm a bit dark and shaggy. The conflict? Um...it interferes with babygirl's preschool schedule. Gah.
Final soccer game of Happyboy's season! Can I get an Amen? Soccer seems like such a good idea when you sign them up, but by Halloween I can't wait for muddy practices to be over.
Volunteer at the boys' school. I know, no volunteering during NaNo...but I really like being with the kids. Kids are funny!
Make a reservation for Minus 5 Ice Bar for the Vegas girls trip. (Yes, I have a girls weekend during NaNo...yes, I'm skerred)
Finish blogging ECWC
Figure out Tumblr. At conference it was a social media platform I hadn't heard of, and someone suggested I use it to do a photo a day to show my passion for photography. I wonder if that's too much pressure, though. I love photography...but my skillz are in the blocks stages. I'm not even at Lincoln Logs, let alone Legos.

The Pink Heart Society: Deadline Recipes :: Conference Chicken

2011-10-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Deadline Recipes :: Conference Chicken: At every conference there is one dish that everyone laughs at -- conference chicken! The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke is ba...

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Building a Career with a Digital-first Publisher with Tera Klienfelter & Shelli Stevens

2011-10-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

Anyone can have healthy mid-list sales. Build your audience with regular releases, work to promote yourself.

What builds your career is a backlist. Each new release boosts the sales of previous books

How much marketing does Samhain put behind their authors? RT, Smart Bitches, Dear Author, sponsor conferences, etc. Promoting an author is also promoting ourselves, so most promotion for Samhain is intertwined with promoting our authors.

At what point do you start to pay for ads? Shelli Stevens shared that she did it for her NY books and did not see a pay off. "I don’t think I’ve done it for digital first. Social networking seems to work better for me."

Tera shared "the majority of the books that I accept are more story and less sex. As it becomes more mainstream to have a ereader, the sales are shifting toward more mainstream novels."

Editing tips from Tera

Felt, knew, saw, heard, remembered, wondered can be removed.
Write with all 5 of your senses. The most overlooked sense is scent.
He could see the sun -> he saw the sun -> the sun shone

Tips from Shelli

Write 1K a day, 5 pages a day. It is a single title book every 3 months.
Readers would rather have a conversation with an author rather than seeing a website ad.
Don’t hit and run on social networds – e.g. send the link to your book twice a week and only show up when you get a review. Readers get annoyed by that.

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Author Branding with Angela James

2011-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Branding Magic with Angela James

Author brand – it’s not the cartoon avatar on Twitter, Facebook, websites, it’s not your tagline. Those are components of it, but brand is how you become known for your voice, quality, genre. A brand is a promise for what you deliver to readers every time they pick up your book. An expectation.

10 tactics to creating a successful author brand

Consistently publish quality editorial – if there is nothing else you do, write good books. Excellent editorial is the only controllable factor in good sales. Learn your craft, listen to your editor, apply what you’ve learned. Deliver the best book you can write. Readers expect every book to be better than the last.
Write in a consistent style – Not about genre. Strong voice, good story, compelling characters. Helen Kay Dimon’s banter and dialogue, Susanna Fraser’s historical accuracy. Find your voice, not by rewriting the same book but learning from each project.
Focus on a genre or style – build yourself in one genre first, after you are well established you can branch out.
Write connected books – there is a reason Nora write trilogies. They are money. Easier to market a series. Have a plan for connected books from the beginning. Have a marketing hook and a series name
Publish connected books close together – deliver on time, do edits quickly and well, keep writing the next book and the next book so you have a steady stream of books coming in. do your part to make it easier for your editor and publisher. Don’t flood your market. Readers will be suspicious of an author putting out a book a month
Spend time marketing yourself every week – you don’t have to do everything. Do one thing and do it well. Spend 15 minutes on Twitter or Facebook every morning. Write a newsletter – they are a powerful tool.
Develop and maintain a good author website – your biggest supporter of your brand. You control your brand and the information getting out there
Create a career plan – where do you want to be in 5 years. How many books, what genre, which publishers.
Develop your brand statement – you don’t know what your brand is until you verbalize it. Think of it as a bio for your writing. You don’t have to publicize it, you do have to know it.
Consistently publish quality editorial. Do not publish an okay book. It betrays your brand. Readers don’t start reading your books because someone else is publishing something similar. They stop reading your books because it isn’t want they expected.

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Does Size Matter? Writing novels, novellas & short stories with Susan Lyons

2011-10-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Size matters more in the traditional publishing world than in digital publishing.

SHORT STORIES

The shorter the story is, the more straight-forward and fast-paced the plot needs to be. Consider using first person and present tense to draw the reader in more quickly and identify with the heroine.
Short stories are perfect moments of time, moments of connection, growth.
Offering a short story on your website as a free read is a great benefit for readers. A wonderful way to showcase your voice, or for published authors to build momentum for their novels.

NOVELS

Trust the process, write through the moments of angst, and get to the end. Completing the story gives you the confidence to know you’ll be able to do it again and again.
The longer the story, the bigger the ripple effect of changes during revisions.
There is a copious amount of information on craft for novel writing. Study it, but respect your own process. Try different things to find what works best for you.
Work on it regularly. If you let it go too long between writing, it is difficult to get back into.

NOVELLAS

If short stories are too restrictive, and novels are too time consuming, novellas may be for you.
Less time to conceive, write, edit. Easier to have more releases in a year.
Limited word count can be a blessing and a curse. You may plot our more than you have pages for.
Introduce the hero, heroine and conflict right away. Letting them have a backstory helps create a believable romantic relationship and a more relatable happily ever after at the end.
Limit secondary characters. Snowbound or island settings help with this. They are forced to deal with issues without the distractions of real life and other characters

Take – or make – opportunities to write different lengths. At different times in your life, different lengths may work better. You may find you like to ‘pants’ novels and plot short stories. Do what works for you.

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Picthing!

2011-10-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's the big pitch day, where most conference attendees get to panic about trying to sell their story to an editor or agent. Thank goodness for us, the industry professionals are used to nutty writers. Most are allowing us to send pages so they can see our writing, and not our ability to pitch our book!

To help the attendees know who would be best suited for their book, the Emerald City Writers Conference guru's held a Q&A. There were lots of questions, but here are some of the highlights.

What are you acquiring?

Junessa Vilora, Ballantine - Romance all genres, women’s fiction
Esi Sogah, Harper Collins - Romance for all Avon imprints
Leah Hultenschmidt, Sourcebooks - Single title romance of any subgenre and YA
Tera Kleinfelter, Samhain - All genres or romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, science fiction with romantic elements
Angela James, Carina– 15K and up in romance and non-romance – everything from sexy to sweet and non-romance in sci fi mystery thriller. No YA, womens fiction or YA
Suzie Townsend, Nancy Coffey Literary Agency – middle grade YA, all subgenres of romance, fantasy, sci fi,
Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency - All types of romance, paranormal historical category, nonfiction
Melissa Jeglinski, The Knight Agency– romance in most genres except scifi fantasy and paranormal

Charity auctions – are they worth it financially for the author. Do you spend more time on the critique knowing how much the author paid for the opportunity?

Leah – I do spend more time and only do Brenda Novak’s. Quality isn’t necessarily better, but I am aware of how much they spent and take my time with it.
Suzie – I’m shocked by the money people spend. It does get more attention, a deeper critique. They paid for it and I’ll read to the end and put together notes for them.
Esi – I do spend more time on it because they spend a lot of money and I want to honor it.
Jill – there are so many submissions usually we don’t have time to write detailed feedback, but we do that on auction submissions.
Tera – people email me, but never send it in.

What do you think about agencies that offer self-publishing to clients? Is it a positive trend or a conflict of interest?

MJ – Knight Agency is assisting current clients to release their backlist. We take our usual agency commission, not a publisher commission.
Suzie – a huge conflict of interest. An agent is an agent that sells books to a publisher. To combine those things doesn’t work for me.
Jill – we offer authors a choice. For authors that are too busy for formatting, editing, etc. we have a relationship with a company that does that.
Angela – self-publishing services are different than being a publisher. For agents who have worked with a book and the options have been exhausted, getting an agency cut on self-published books helps recoup some of that time and effort.

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Opening Day

2011-10-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's opening day at the Emerald City Writer's Conference, and there's tons going on! After Bob Mayer's master class this morning, it was time for registration...and that means goody bags! ECWC collects the best swag. Between the goody bag and the swag table I wound up with a dozen books, candy, bookmarks, pens, pins, nail files...but the swag winner of the conference has to be Jayne Rylon's Kissin' Tonic. (It's gummy lips in a sour liquid candy...and wins for creativity)

We all have different swag preferences, so swapping items is a great way to make friends fast. Especially if you are willing to trade Milky Way bars for M&Ms.

There was just enough time for everyone to find raffle tickets and jot their name down on the back before selecting the baskets they'd like to win. The raffle baskets are legendary at ECWC. Everything is donated and all the proceeds go to charity, so we can all feel great about buying tickets and hoping our name will be called.

Dianna Love was the keynote speaker for dinner, and she was insightful and funny and a true heroine we can all look up to. However, I'm now going to think of her everytime I hear that country song, My Baby Likes To Fish.

After our conference chicken it was time for Cherry Adair to celebrate the winners of her Finish The Damn Book Challenge.

Every year at Emerald City, Cherry encourages writers to set aside their excuses and just finish the damn book. She gives everyone an entire year to commit to themselves and the rest of the conference that they will meet the deadline. For those who win, not only do they have the glory of a complete manuscript, but they get special gifts from Cherry. This year, she arranged for a select few of the winners to have their manuscript read by an esteemed editor or agent and get a response in 2 weeks. 2 weeks! Unheard of turnaround in publishing.

The best part? My friend Mary is one of the winners! Mary is a breath away from getting 'the call'. I just know this is the boost she needs to see her dream come true.

Finally, it was time for Shelli Stevens to work her magic on the raffle baskets. My friend Jessie is a raffle expert, and buys enough tickets to assure she never goes home empty handed. Tonight Laurel won a Halloween basket.

And I won this huge basket of bathroom decor! To decorate the bathroom I haven't been able to fix up since we moved in! Huzzah! Cherry Adair donated it. I think she may be my fairy godmother.

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Publishing In The Digital Age with Angela James

2011-10-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Carina Press Executive Editor Angela James did a great overview of the history of digital publishing for us, and then opened the room to questions. Quite brave of her! Here's my abbreviated notes ::

Digital Publishing Timeline

1^st ebooks published in 1971. The Declaration of Independence was the first ebook, and that is how Project Gutenberg began.

In 1998 the first ISBN was issued, to an ebook. ISBNs individualize a book on search engines and for retailers. The first dedicated ebook devices came out that year – Rocket Reader and ebookwise.

1999 – Bane Free Public Library A pioneer science fiction publisher, provided some of their backlist for free to encourage readers to pick up their new books.

2000 – Steven Kin self-published his first book, make $500,000 and declared it a failure. Ellora’s Cave was founded, allowing women to access different kinds of content and paved the way for a lot of different publishers.

2006 – Sony Reader hit the market.

2007 – Amazon launched Kindle.

2009 – sony released a new edition, as did Kindle. JA Konrath self-published his first book.

2010 – ipad changed the scope of reading. Apple introduced the ibookstore and the agency model.

Over 70% of all digital piracy happens outside North American borders. They are pirating because they can’t get legal access to the books because of rights issues.
How do sales differ with length. Best selling length at Carina is 70K+ @ $5.99, though some of the best-selling titles are novellas.
Carina looking for erotic novel length books because of Spice dissolving, there is a need for those stories in overseas partners of harlequin. Contemporary romance and romantic suspense sell well. Looking for steam punk and space opera. No YA or inspirational, hard to market alongside erotic content.
Bloom of digital publishing in a decimated economy in a world without Borders. A huge hit to the mid-list author. There was a lot happening in a bookstore beyond the bottom line sales of books. It is harder for publishers to take chances because book buying is a luxury.
Google developed an algorithm to see how many books were published ever. 130million books. In 2010 3 million ISBNs were issued, only 316000 to traditionally published books. For 2011, closer to 6 million. Standing out from that kind of crowd is the biggest challenge, which is why building a brand is so important.

Emerald City Writer's Conference : Master Class

2011-10-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

I woke up early to make it to breakfast with Paty Jager before we headed to the pre-conference master class. We hustled to the ballroom to find...we were an hour early! We'd both written down the wrong time.

After we chatted, somehow it was time for the class. Paty has started self-publishing her stories and her success is fabulous and fascinating. M.O. couldn't sit with us for class because her pesky day job decided to schedule a meeting. Drat.

Bob Mayer's One Day Novel Writing workshop was condensed into 3 hours. Hmmm. I have decided I need to take a Mayer workshop in the time they're designed to be given in. He's always asked to do 3 hour workshops in 1 hour slots...and this was obviously a 5-6 hour one in 3. So much information, your head starts to buzz a little bit, and not in the fun way!

Aside from the point-by-point of how to put together a novel from the original idea to resolution, I had some great takeaways ::

It gets more difficult to write the more you know.
Distribution used to be the choke point in publishing. Now it is placement. If readers cannot find your title, they cannot buy it. You need to get on a top 10 list @ Amazon, B&N, etc
90% of 1^st novels fail because authors think the publisher will do things for them. You have to do the same amount of promotion whether you traditionally or self-publish.
To become a brand author, you need to be read by people who don’t read – who read 5 books a year only when they are stuck at an airport or on the beach. People who don’t read much, don’t have Kindles. The biggest mistake publishers are making right now is pricing. The sweet spot is 2.99-9.99. Opening books in a series at .99 brings higher sales throughout the whole series.
Whatever you are weakest at, is what you must work the hardest at. Your book is only as good as your weakest writing.

Pikes Place with the Samhain Set!

2011-10-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of people are heading to Seattle this weekend for the Emerald City Writers Conference. There's lots going on, but most of it within the walls of a hotel in downtown Bellevue. These events often roll like that - you see the inside of airports and hotels...and not much else!

In order to share her love for her city, Shelli Stevens (who happens to be a New York Times best selling author, natch) offered to play tourguide for a few of us. She took us to lunch at Cutters, a fantastic restaurant next to Pike's Place with amazing views of the water. The weather even cooperated -- maybe too much! Tera Kleinfelter (who happens to be the assistant managing editor of Samhain, ha!) wound up blinded by the sun and had to wear fancy schmancy shades throught the meal.

Lunch was faboosh. I think we all orderd something with crab on it. When in Seattle seafood is a must!

Next it was on to Pike's Place for some exploring. The artistry showcased at the market is amazing...and so is the food. I grabbed up some grapes to munch on while I'm in my hotel room writing...and coerced everyone into getting cheesecake at The Confectional. We were all full from lunch, so we got them to go. I know they'll all be thanking me tomorrow.

Karen Erickson had a change purse full of quarters, so we all took our turn at the fortune teller. Mine warned about gossip (fitting for a conference weekend, me thinks) and Shelli's needed a dictionary to transalte. Seriously...none of us knew what it meant, and we are professional wordsmiths!

We snagged a dozen of the famous mini-doughnuts...which are good, but not as great as when they are warm and the sugar is melting off them.

Shelli made us check out the gum wall (ew) and I found a friend in Marty Matthews (Samhain's author liason extraordinaire) because she was as grossed out by it as I was! That thing gives me the creeps. I want to get out my UV wand and decontaminate it...but I don't think it is possible.

After that...Shelli was stuck with the bag of doughnuts! No one wanted to eat!

The magic shop had a a different fortune teller - and this one seemed to have more experience so Tera tried for a different fortune. AND... She got the same thing. Beware of Friday the 13th! Freaky!

I wonder what other trouble we'll get into this weekend?

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

2011-10-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

People often ask this of writers...right before they tell them about an idea that they have to write. It's the cutest thing. And then I explain that ideas are not the issue, time to write the story is!

Today was a fieldtrip with HappyBoy's class to a Forest Center. As we were hiking around enjoying the nature (and the Oregon drizzle) I kept noticing something.

MUSHROOMS!

They were everywhere, dozens of different kinds. Fascinating. And that, my friends, is where I get my ideas. They usually spring up from nowhere.

At some point, I'm going to have a character who knows about mushrooms, because now I'm curious.

Foodalicious : Goat Cheese Pizza

2011-10-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

beer crust

goat cheese

carmelized onions

pecans

The Pink Heart Society: What Are You Reading Thursday :: Magazines

2011-10-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: What Are You Reading Thursday :: Magazines: The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke thought PHS editor Donna Alward had such a great topic last week, she's using it again! Ma...

Bringing It Back

2011-10-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Fan-favorite For Kicks is going to be available again! Look for the e-version January 24th, paperback in October. I'm thrilled this story will finally get the distribution it deserves. And now...for the new blurbage.

If the shoe fits…run with it!

Breeze Cohen senses something is missing from her life, but her career doesn’t leave time for anything but retail business strategy—particularly the upcoming product launch for her cornerstone client, Nitrous.

No way is she going to let live-for-the-moment Logan Chandler tarnish her professional reputation. Even if the ex-athlete poster boy for Nitrous makes her heart pound like she’s run a marathon.

After surviving a near-fatal accident, Logan doesn’t want to waste a minute of life. It’s meant to be lived, ravished, enjoyed—and there’s no one he’d like to ravish more than Breeze. There’s a deep pool of mutual desire beneath her icy façade. He can feel it every time they touch.

When a training snafu at Nitrous launches Breeze into damage control, Logan is ready and waiting to lace up and take her for a run on the wilder side—if he can catch her.

Warning: Side effects may include a desire to melt chocolate with body heat, spontaneous phone sex, and an intense drive to find loopholes in your workplace fraternization policy.

Foodalicious : Manhattan

2011-10-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

whiskey

vermouth

marachino cherries

And Today...

2011-10-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging over at Samhain Publlishing :)

And sitting on my chaise, in pink polka dot pajama pants, with a snuggly blankie, writing. Yep, I do that every now and again.

Foodalicious : Taco Pizza

2011-10-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Beer crust

salsa

chicken

cheddar

crushed tortilla chips

lettuce

sour cream

Write Away Weekend -- Day Three

2011-10-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

One would think that after two nights of working post-midnight would call for sleeping in...but all three of us had our computers fired up by seven! Talk about using every minute!

Sunday Agenda

Jumpstart Your Mind :: Caffiene is a writer's friend. It can get words on the page even when the writer has had very little sleep. Coffee or tea, hot or iced, pick your poison and get to work!

Fuel Your Writing :: m&m's. The breakfast of best-selling authors. Really.

Ready Set Write Finale :: It may take four tries to figure out where your book opens, but once you know, you can write forward. See you soon, #1K1HR.

Explore Settings :: If you go to the beach and don't get your toes in the sand...you're not allowed to return. I don't make the rules. We took the mandatory walk because we didn't want to be blacklisted. Thes are the sacrifices we make for art.

But seriously, setting needs to be as well-thought out as your characters. Let your character look around their environment, not just in front of them. Yes, the ocean is beautiful, but so are sandy beaches, sandstone cliffs, logs of driftwood, and even weathered staircases. Don't let your setting get flabby, make it work!

Sendoff :: We had such a fabulous, productive weekend. I think we'd all planned on getting more words on the page, but we all shifted gears and instead of focusing on word count we focused on making our stories as strong as they could be. We may not have pounded out the pages, but now that we know where our stories are going...we'll rock.

We agreed we must do this again. See you in January, Blessings By the Sea!

Write Away Weekend -- Day Two!!

2011-10-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

The second day of our Write Away adventure began early...which was odd considering how late Michael Hague kept us awake the night before. But this wasn't a weekend vacation...we're working like mad women!

Saturday Agenda

1K1HR - The Twitter hashtag phenomenon proved helpful even without Tweeple. Sit down, focus, and let the fingers fly!

A Little Help From Our Friends - The joy of having other writers around is when you're staring at a blinking cursor and you're stuck...you can verbalize the problem and have crackerjack brainstormers at the ready. Hero has no motivation...we can help with that!

Character Study - After raining words down on the page we took a field trip to the casino to try out for Wheel of Fortune. Oh yeah, this is part of our job!

Standing in line we saw all sorts of people...and then they let us into the show...there is something about trying out for a gameshow that has people wearing the 'gameshow contestant' persona.

Would you bellydance on a stage in front of strangers? Most had this uber-excited, beyond animated face they slipped on as soon as they made it to the stage. Fascinating!

Taking Chances - If you're in a casino, gamble a little. Get in touch with the thrill of winning and the agony of losing. But don't gamble more than your Starbucks habit costs. That's just silly.

Linner - If you miss lunch because you're standing in line for a gameshow and are now starving out of your mind...linner is in order. We reccomend an ocean view so you can catch the surf, kites, and playful kittens.

Nurture With Nature - Nothing fills the writer's well quite like appreciating the beauty of nature. Our weekend setting gave us amazing opportunities to appreciate the beach, sunsets, cleansing rain...we even arrived back at the house to a momma deer and her two babies!

Ready Set Write redux - After our field trip, we were all ready to get some words on the page again. Sit down, start typing and go until you're stuck and need a little help from our evening entertainment.

The Outer Journey with Michael Hauge - Michael was so good to us last night we invited him back to the DVD player for another round. We were happily plugging along - character, desire, goal, key turning points...and then he lost us completely by rushing through everything after the point of no return. Drat!

The Writer's Journey with Chris Vogler - We brought another man to the living room, and tried to stay awake through the 12 stages. We tried very hard.

Uniting Plot and Character Arc with Michael Hague - Opting to give Michael another chance since he'd been so good to us the night before, we gave the audio recording of one of his workshops from the last RWA conference a chance. Thank goodness. This time he redeemed himself as he traveled through Empathy, Wound, Set-up, Opportunity creates the preliminary goal, which leads to the new situation, Chnage of Plans, Progress, Point of No return, Complications, Set-back, Final push, Climax, Aftermath.

And then...since it was well into Sunday...we opted to start again tomorrow with Writing Jumpstarts and Fuel.

Write Away Weekend -- Day One!

2011-10-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

We tossed together this weekend on the fly, but we couldn't have done better if we'd planned it!

Friday

Putting Emotion in Your Writing -- audio workshops from RWA 2011 conference while being chauffered to our coastal getaway. Spacious door-to-door service provided by Rose's Mom's Van (aka Melissa did the driving)

Lunch -- Andaman Thai Cuisine is worth the wait -- they even freshly brewed our unsweetened Thai iced tea.

Goody Bags -- a buy-your-own option @ the outlet mall. Melissa & I got matching purses (the deal at Coach was that good) and prizes to take home to the kids.

Setting The Scene -- arrived at Blessings By The Sea and staked out bedrooms -- Terri opted for the darkest room, Melissa took one for the team and slept in the skylight room, I have an ocean view!

Ready Set Write -- Write until your stomach demands food! Melissa won the round with over 1K.

Dinner -- Mo's of course. You may be thrown out of Lincoln City if you don't Mo's at least once. The garlic cabage and shrimp salad? Way better than it sounds.

Myofascial Techniques for Writers -- Terri showed us the tricks she learned to ease the aches caused by hours of writing using a tennis ball and a golf ball!

Writing Romantic Comedies - Screenplay Mastery by Michael Hauge -- We used the DVD to map out the internal arcs of our latest stories, pausing and discussing as we went.

And tomorrow? Play With Words, Ready Set Write, & an evening with Christopher Vogler.

Date Day :: DIY Pub Crawl

2011-09-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

This month's date brought to you by...BEER! It's HubbaBubba's favorite thing, and since it is his birthday month he got to choose our outing. Which meant it needed to be scheduled around college football game times. Nice.

We've always wanted to do a pub crawl of brewery tour...but timing never jives for us. And the cost. Some of them want a hundred bucks just to walk you around...you still have to pay for beer! After much Googling, we found a map that navigates local breweries using the Portland Street Car. We're serious about our beer in these parts!!

Our first stop...was for me. Cupcake Jones = YUM! If you have to pick just one, get the red velvet. But with the minis, why stop at one?

After a short hop on the streetcar, it was off to Rogue Public House. We love Rogue. We even named our dog Rogue. Though, if you ask, we'll tell you we got it from the river. Our next dog will probably be names Dechutes. Again, friends will think it's the brewery, I'll tell the PTA moms it's the river. That's how we roll.

The selection is amazing at Rogue. Toasted hazelnut, double chocolate, Irish cream, honey orange....those aren't desserts, they're beer! We were event tempted to try the Bleu Balls on the menu for a laugh. HubbaBubba wants me to make them at home.

He prefers the stronger, hoppy beers. Brutal, Triple Jump, Dead Guy, and a chipotle flavored beer were his suggestions. Soon, they'll be offering a Voodoo Doughnut inspired bacon Maple...not sure about that one. Good thing they have tasting trays!

Next stop -- Bridgeport. They did a Summer Squeeze beer that I really like. It has a lemony yuzu thing going on. The man is all about the Hops Czar.

We like Bridgeport because you can bring the kids if you want. They're not the kind of place that caters to families, but they don't eschew them either. Ours love the fat pretzels, and the kids menu has real pizza (not frozen) and natural hot dogs. Their salads and sandwiches are great too.

We took the streetcar back towards Burnside to find Tugboat Brewery, but it was closed. As was Bailey's Taproom. After that disappointment, we opted for a sure thing -- Henry's.

In the building of the famed Henry Weinhard's Brewery now sits Henry's Tavern. A modern industrial vibe pulls together the bar, restaurant and upstairs billiard room. The Happy Hour menu is fun (gorgonzola waffle fries anyone?), the dinner choices are surprisngly varied, and there are over a hundred beers on tap! Sea Dog's Blueberry Ale smells like a muffin and the Apricot Cream is delicious. To me. Hubba was on the opposite side of the menu with Amnesia's Desolation and Ninkasi Tricerahops.

He's already planning our next DIY beer tour...

Foodalicious : Bacon Mac & Cheese

2011-09-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Smoked Gouda

Bacon

The Pink Heart Society: Writers Wednesday : Break Into Fiction

2011-09-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Writers Wednesday : Break Into Fiction: What is left for a writer to do when she's done all she can and still the book doesn't feel 'right'? The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna B...

Foodalicious : Chocolate Martini

2011-09-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Grey Goose

Bailey's

European drinking chocolate

DIY Portland Chocolate Tour

2011-09-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of spending my afternoon noshing and laughing with Portland Walking Tours (hence why I've taken the same tour twice) and really wanted to spend some time with Chocolate Decadence...but we couldn't get the timing to work out right. So, we decided to make our own tour.

With a hotel right in the heart of Portland's chocolate district, we barely had to walk! We started a bit east of downtown with chain-store chocolate from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. When we were teens, Jeff & I loved treking down to Ashland for their truffles and carmel apples. Our tastes have grown up, because we didn't really like the truffles we tried. The chocolate was grainy and the fillings were kind of oily. They looked fantastic.

Once we got downtown, we went to Leonadis chocolates, a favorite of my friend Kris. Living in Europe ruined her for American chocolate, so when she needs a fix, this is where she goes. Now I know why.

This isn't a place to go when you're on a budget, but if you just want a truffle or two to calm your chocolate jones, go here. Like woah. The flavor combinations are amazing, and the chocolate is so fresh it tastes, well, better. Belgians know chocolate.

We found Portland's own Moonstruck Chocolates next. I love Moonstruck so much, I wrote it into Compromising Positions (the chocolate they gift one another, and what he finally shares with her). They're very thoughtful in their chocolate, creating blends and flavor pairings that just make everything better. Plus, their caramels are divine.

Next, we tried Swiss chocolatier Teuscher. The store is very kitschy and smells...like Willy Wonka's chocolate river. They had some unique flavor combinations. Everything we tried as delicious and very creamy.

My favorite stop of the trip had to be at Cacao for drinking chocolate. Walking Tours start at the Heathman, where the chocolate mecca is tucked into a corner, and begin with a shot of chocolate goodness. Jeff tried the cinnamon milk chocolate and it was just as delightful as my dark chocolate drink. You haven't experienced chocolate until you've sipped at Cacao.

Chocolate Decadence does more than just the chocolate shops -- there are rumors of cupcakes, cookies, gelato, and tips on how to pair chocolate with wine. But we did manage to find the best chocolate croissant outside of France at Pazzoria.

As much as I loved our DIY tour (and the cheap date price) I still want to do Chocolate Decadence. I love chocolate!

Ridin' The Riverboat

2011-09-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what I expected from a dinner cruise aboard the Columbia Gorge sternwheeler. I think of river boats and my mind either goes to the swanky casino boats on the Travel Channel, or Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

This was definitely a middle ground - a much used space with two dining levels and an observation top deck. Most of the passengers were outside of our demographic, but there was one family celebrating a 50th anniversary that had a few people I might find at a PTA meeting.

The dinner cruise was a great way to see the gorge and learn a little about the area. The Seattle harbor cruise we did during Spring Broke was much more informative, as was the drive through the gorge during our snowshoe adventure.

Dinner was okay, you can't really expect much from a galley kitchen. I did think the cheesecake shouldn't be frozen, but what can you do?

I had fun taking pictures and watching the sternwheel spin. Things didn't really line up for the sunset shot I'd hoped for, but that didn't stop me from taking pictures until the memory card filled up!

The River Got Me!

2011-09-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

After hearing about all the fun we had on our girls rafting trip, Hubba Bubba just had to go. I booked the same trip, but there was a slight change. When I went with the girls, there were two giant logs blocking Husum Falls, so the rafts went around it, and (crazy) people jumped off a bridge. But the weekend before our trip...they removed the logs.

Hubba Bubba was beyond excited to get to run the waterfall. Me...less so. But, I figures this is one of those adventures you do once so you can say you have done it.

We had a great time on the river. The people in our boat were hilarious. One is a river guide on the Sky, so I think that was why we got to see and do a bit more -- like going into a cave!

Everything was really fun, but it all kind of gets overshadowed by the waterfall. Because we flipped over!

I panicked just a little and would not let go of the raft. There are ropes they throw out to you from the shore, so I thought I'd go from the raft to a rope. Except they couldn't throw the last rope since not all of the people on our boat popped up. Who was missing?

Hubba Bubba!

He got stuck under the raft and rode the entire falls that way!

After being pulled to safety by the Zooraft guides, we all climbed back in our raft for the relaxing portion of the trip. I really didn't want to get back in, but I figured it was kind of like being thrown from a horse and the sooner you got back on, the better.

We really did have a great run, and I plan on going back again when my brother comes out in the Spring. But, I'll be walking around Husum Falls.

Care to see why? We're the last raft in this video :: http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=2444909480742

The Pink Heart Society: Thursday 13 :: You Know You Love It

2011-08-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Thursday 13 :: You Know You Love It: Let's get the conversation started! Straight from The Pink Heart Society editors desk...which recurring themes at the blogazine are your fa...

The Pink Heart Society: CRAFTY CORNER : Craftastic Blogs

2011-08-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: CRAFTY CORNER : Craftastic Blogs: There are mornings where Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke wakes up and wishes she were crafty. Since she doesn't own a hot glue...

Down a River With a Paddle

2011-08-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

I have the strange notion that if something shows up on Groupon, it must be a good idea. Hence the snowshoeing, ziplining, rafting, etc. that I've tried out this year. Today was date day (brought to us in part by Uncle Dan, who watched over our minions while were were out).

Hubba Bubba loves how I am taking him on dates this year. I mean, why wouldn't he? Little does he know, 2012 is his turn. He's claiming our Evergreen Escapes snowshoe trip was the best ever, and while I kind of agree, I need to keep trying. And how does a girl compete with a snowshoe date?

Willamette Falls

Kayaking. The idea of climing into a plastic boat and having to fend for myself on the wide Willamette river terrified me. Which was why I did it.

Our guides were young, fun, and completely confident that we'd all make the trip without incident. The dozen or so of us - from teens to grandparents - were shown how to get into the kayak, how to hold the paddle, and the basic strokes. The guides stayed with us, offering guidance and instruction, but I was the only one who seemed incapable of keeping my kayak straight. I think I bumped into all of my tripmates at least once.

Paddling itself wasn't a struggle, but you had to twist your wrist to get the blades of the kayak to hit right, and my wrist doesn't twist. I've decided to blame the titanium, instead of my own dexterity and skill. Because titanium is strong stuff. It can handle it.

Hubba Bubba? Loved every minute of the excursion I wasn't bumping into him with my kayak. I told him we should have gone tandem, but I think he knew I'd wind up being a mess on the water, and wanted distance from my chaos. I wanted distance too, but since I am me, I was stuck with it.

I think we'll kayak again. They do naturalist tours that I think would be fun (and easier to keep the raft straight since there won't be as much of a current). eNRG runs excursions to lakes, islands and even Nehalem bay on the coast. I know we'll do at least one of those!

Down The River

2011-08-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't been rafting since I was willing to be seen in a bikini. When I lived at home, rafting down the Rogue river was a weekend activity, not really an event. The only planning it took was remembering the pump and getting refreshments in a cooler.

Now, when a girlfriend said she wanted to go rafting for her birthday, I wasn't even sure where to start. I have a raft and oars...somewhere. But, I don't know these rivers, and well, now I am old enough to be scared!

I scoured the internet and found Wet Planet Whitewater, where they handle everything. What a relief! We showed up and were outfitted with wetsuits (a first, clothing is minimal when rafting the Rogue in the summer), splash jackets, helmets (why do these adventures require helmets!), and booties. The jacket I was assigned smelled like mildew and sweat. GAG. But, the other gals had unsmelly ones, so I was just 'lucky'.

They sent us off to a white schoolbus and trucked us a few miles to the put-in point. They divided us into groups...and our foursome got matched up with part of a redneck themed bachelor party. Including a guy who reeked of beer and sweat. Who sat right in front of me. I could have smooched my friend Roxann when she suggested they trade seats!

Smells aside, it was amazing! Our guide filled us in on local history and ecology, most of which is probably true. He taught us all how to stay in the raft, which is the secret to enjoying any rafting trip. There were some great rapids. One time I almost got tossed (I used my odiferous companion to right myself), another time the guide had most of our crew sit on the front of the bull to 'ride the bull'. He told us after that particular rapid is also known as a nose douche.

We laughed and screamed and played with the waterproof camera. The birthday girl got a special treat -- because there were 7 on our raft instead of the normal 6, she got to ride 'princess'. No paddling! This means she was sandwiched between the two costumed rednecks up front, and tended to tip back when we hit a rapid, but the whole thing was just hilarious.

If all your friends jumped off a bridge, I suppose you would too. Actually, no mom, I wouldn't. But I did take pictures as my river divas took the plunge!

I'm having such a great time experiencing these adventures with my gals this year. I think we may need to keep the tradition going!

The Pink Heart Society: Thursday 13 :: Vegas!

2011-08-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Thursday 13 :: Vegas!: "The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke loves Las Vegas. And since she's currently planning a girls weekend there with some lovely..."

The Pink Heart Society: Deadline Recipes :: Let the Kids Do It!

2011-08-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Deadline Recipes :: Let the Kids Do It!: "Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke thinks food tastes better if she didn't have to make it, and twice as good if she doesn't have..."

Thursday 13 :: You make me wanna...

2011-07-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

Romance novels have inspired many things. Husbands everywhere should stop and thank a romance author for brightening their evenings. But beyond the bedroom, romance novels spark great adventures. Some of my favorites have been ::

1. HORSEBACK RIDING - I'm not really referring to save a horse, ride a cowboy - honest! I haven't been on a horse since I was a kid, and this made me want to get back into it. A well-muscled cowboy giving lessons would be a plus.

2. RIDE IN A LIMO - I hate driving. I think the last time I was in a limo was when Trish Wylie & I piled into one with a dozen other romance authors at the Dallas conference. I'd like to try it when it's less crowded. Ahem.

3. TRAVEL TO SCOTLAND - I haven't managed it yet, but my Highland Games adventure last weekend has got me thinking about it again. The castles, the kilts, the brogue. Yes, I must go.

4. SURF! I tried, back in the days I could still pull off a bikini. But, after a couple attempts I was cranky and tired and gave up. I'd like to try it now that I have more patience. What? I do so have more patience!

5. MAKE A BUCKET LIST - Having a good long think about what you want is a great way to shorten the distance between here and there. So is hiring a babysitter. My girlfriends and I promised one another adventures for our birthdays. So far, we've had makeovers, walking tours, pole dancing, zip-lining...with rafting and a Vegas trip in the works!

6. EAT CAKE - As the cupcake bakeries have popped up I think most domestic goddesses have thought - hey, I could do that. Or, that carrot cake is awful. Whichever.

7. TOUR A WINERY - Before we were breeders, Hubba Bubba and I used to find ourselves at a wine tasting nearly every summer weekend.

8. SEE THE OPALS IN AUSTRALIA - Kelly Hunter did an amazing job of bringing the rugged beauty of Australia and fire of opals to life in Priceless...which was renamed Bedded For Diamonds in the North American market. I'm not sure why they renamed it that either!

9. BE AN EXTRA ON A FILM SET - I'd love to experience how films and television are made, see all the different jobs that go into making it possible for actors to entertain us.

10. HAVE GAME-SHOW WORTHY ADVENTURES - I love Survivor, but I'm not cut out to camp for 40 days, or do any of those challenges where you have to eat bugs. Same with Amazing Race. I'd love it, until I got frustrated trying to perfect some native dance. But some of the things they do? I'd love to do some afternoon, and then return to my hotel.

11. ATTEND A BALL - complete with the Cinderella treatment. I think this is how some women see their wedding, but I got married at a park, to a man who hates to dance. I want the elegance, the music, the dress, the shoes...

12. WEAR PROVOCATIVE T-SHIRTS - I have to buy shirts around my...um...assets, so all those cute phrase ones aren't in my closet. But I do love a good rude shirt.

13. BE AN UNDERCOVER AGENT - For the weekend, not for a lifetime. The excitement would be epic, but I wouldn't want to keep it up long term. I mean...when would I have time to read my books?

WHAT HAVE ROMANCE NOVELS MADE YOU WANT TO DO?

Jenna's dealing with line edits, waiting to hear back on a new story, and finishing the road trip book right now. Until it's ready, be sure to check out her latest. Private Scandal is ripe with secrets, sass, and sensational sex.

The Highland Games

2011-07-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

What do you do when a friend calls and offers to share her VIP ticket to The Highland Games?

If you're having a year of adventure like I am, you say yes and thank you. Hmm, maybe I should have reversed the order? Ah, well.

Lucy Monroe and I giggled like schoolgirls about how amazing it is that as a writer, having fun is part of your job responsibilities! She's working on a Scottish midieval right now, so she was giddy for the history of everything. I'm a contemporary girl, so dreamed up a couple different scenarios (including a stunning YA idea for anyone who wants it), and voila - another day at the office.

Lucy's husband joined in on the fun, when he wasn't chaffering us to and from and lugging bags and coats to the car. Such a good sport. And it got even better when he got caught up in the festivities and bought a kilt. (Read about that here.)

The festivities stretched over the Mt Hood Community College campus. We explored the clan tents first, mesmerized by how many people wore kilts or their clan tartan in some other way (ties, scarves, baby wraps). Close to two dozen clans brought displays to share their history and heritage. The maps were fascinating, as were the knives everyone seemed to have tucked into their long wool socks!

One field showcased the athletic competitions, from shinty (kind of like polo without the horse) to strong man competitions (for men, women & children). I've seen the strongman competitions on ESPN, but live is so much better. When you're standing there, you realize how dangerous these feats are and it ratchets the excitement up.

In weight for height the competitor tosses a 50+ pound bucket-looking thing over their head where a limbo-type bar is perched. Clearing the bar means they can try it even higher. I still am not sure how they manage to toss it without it coming down on their head!

I couldn't get any good pictures of them throwing the Scottish Hammer...it was just too dangerous to have a good angle! The Scottish Hammer is a 20 pound ball on the end of a stick! The whirl around and when they have enough momentum they release it. See what I mean about dangerous?

Portland even has it's own signature event...The Portland Stone. Stone is really a misnomer...this is a 100 pound boulder! With a clean-and-jerk motion, the athletes get the boulder over their head, run, and with a might bellow toss it as far as they can. I really started to feel bad for the ground, which was left with quite the dent from every toss.

Weight for Distance is a bit like the Olympic discus...except they throw a ball and chain! Again, not something you want to get in the way of. Open Stone resembles shot-put...but with a rock.

The Kilted Mile attracted men and women of all ages. Everyone cheers, especially for those in their clan. At the end I missed the highlight of the whole thing...one miler flipped up his kilt to show what was underneath (joke boxers, but still). And I missed it. Totally. I think me missing it (of all people) made Lucy laugh harder than the actual flashing!

The final sporting event was the Caber Toss. The throw a telephone pole into the air, trying to get it to cartwheel. The world champion was one of the competitors, so we got to see this quite a bit. We also got to see what happens when they lose their grip or can't balance the 19-foot log correctly. Talk about scary! I was so chicken, I stood on the stage to take pictures.

In addition to the athletics were bands and dancing. I loved watching the Scottish dancers of all ages. The smaller kids were adorable, and the older performers so precise. In her research, Lucy learned the dances began as ways to train boys for battle, kind of like martial arts. Now they're artisic and fun, but I can imagine they once were quite serious.

The pipe bands were amazing. I'm not sure my ear is tuned enough to be able to tell one song from another, but I loved watching them. I enjoyed the band competitions as well, fascinated by the different formations they would take to perform. The drummers had quite a bit of flair.

The food was perfectly Scottish. The VIP tent had a spread of bangers, mashed potatoes, bangers and mash, grain mustard, crudite and fresh fruit - with MacTarnahan's Ale flowing as well. We had afternoon tea in the Brittish tea tent. You could smell the butter in their home-baked goodies.

And the shopping...phenomenal. I had no idea there would be so many amazing things! Of course there were kilt sellers and kilt makers (both tradition and modern), but there were capes (I got Babygirl a red one so she can be little red riding hood), books, jewelry (I found amazing lapis earrings), hair accessories (leather hair ties and metal twists), and weaponry.

Oh, the weapons. There were ornate knives, perfect for tucking in one's sock as the Scotts are wont to do. But there were serious broadswords as well. Chain metal and shields. Axes and whips. Mace and spears. It was equal parts scary and fascinating to have them there to handle. Those things were heavy, and if the ax blade touches anything the vibration moves down your arms like a tuning fork. Talk about hands on research!

I think I'll go again. It really got my creative side running. With as popular as Scottish historicals have become, maybe I can figure out a way to blend that into contemporary. Who knows...I won't have time to find out until I finish the next three stories!

2011-07-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

The RWA National Conference is packed with books. Books in your registration bag, on your chair at each luncheon, scattered about the goody room (they go FAST), at the Literacy Autographing, and all the major publishers host a booksigning where the books are FREE! I packed home too many to list, so here's the 13 that went to the top of my To-Be-Read Pile.

1. Breathe by Donna Alward -- Snagged it as an ARC from the Samhain signing... and then someone snagged it from me when I was handing out books to elevator passengers. Thank goodness Fiona Harper hooked me up with another copy. Still, I wonder what Donna wrote when she signed it...

2. Beauty and the Brooding Boss by Barbara Wallace -- I do so love Beauty and the Beast. I think that's why I tend to write the story over, and over...

3. Cowboy Up by Vicki Lewis Thompson -- Not only are there three more Sons of Chance books coming out, at the signing she said it was looking like she'd get a third set of them! And, my fangirl moment of the conference? I rode back to the hotel from the Harlequin black & white ball in the same taxi as VLT!

4. Housekeeper's Happy-Ever-After by Fiona Harper -- I met Fiona on the eHarlequin boards when we were both unpublished. I met her in person at the RWA Conference in Dallas a couple years after we'd sold. And...it's eerie. We're like identical cousins! The easy laugh, curly hair, need to go for a joke. I heart her.

5. And One Last Thing by Molly Harper -- I got this one at a publisher signing for my usual reasons for picking up a book...cover and title. I know, I know. But I mean, look at it. It's going to be good.

6. Real Men Wear Plaid by Rhonda Nelson -- Everything by Rhonda Nelson is good, it just is. Maybe it's my upcoming weekend adventure to the Highland Games, or the hot guy on the cover...I just know I'll love this one.

7. The True Love Quilting Club by Lori Wilde -- I actually managed to snag this and The Sweetheart's Knitting Club because my roomate didn't have room in her luggage :) I had the First Love Cookie Club at home already, so now I have them all. I just need a weekend away to read them in one big gulp.

8. Single Dad Seeks A Wife by Melanie Milburne -- Medicals are hard to come by in the States! This felt like quite a find!

9. With This Fling by Kelly Hunter -- Don't you just love that title? Kelly has a delightful way of mixing the playful and the emotional so that everything is just right. Plus, I got to meet her in person. She's even more lovely than you think!

10. Suddenly Texan by Victoria Chancellor -- The heroine is from Oregon, and the American line is becoming one of my favorites. Plus, it has a Texas cowboy.

11. The Forbidden Wife by Sharon Kendrick -- The back cover says "When Beauty tames the brooding beast..." Can you see the pattern with me and stories?

12. All Fired Up by Kristen Painter -- I have it in ebook, but sometimes it's nice to have an autographed copy. That way, when I loan it to my friend I tend to get it back!

13. Expecting Royal Twins by Melissa McClone -- One of my local authors who just happened to be nominated for a RITA. She did a great job blogging about NYC pre-conference. After reading her posts, I was even more excited to go!

It's going to be a great reading year!!

Conference -- Before It Began

2011-07-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be a great idea to take a red eye flight and sleep away the 6 hour flight. Except the tall one had no interest in sleeping his first flight away. I talked him into trying to rest, but once the flight attendant gave him free headphones to watch the seat-back TV, my chances of resting vanished.

After a very smooth flight we took a car to the hotel, but there was no room for us at the inn, at least not until the afternoon. So, we dropped off our bags and set off to explore. We found the Hershey store and a crew setting up for the Transformer’s premier that night – Bayley enjoyed seeing Bumblebee, but not the smoke effects!

We breakfasted at Junior’s Café, famous for its cheesecake. They had strawberry blintz…but their blintz are deep fried. I kept thinking I was eating a cheese filled doughnut.

We decided to trek down to the Empire State Building. We took the SkyRide which gave the basics o f the history of the building and the layout of New York. The motion ride is good, but for the price you think they could make it look more finished. I kept thinking they keep the lights dim because everything was half done.

On the observatory deck we realized the weather was too hazy to see very far. We made it half way around before Bayley got tired of it. Grrreat!

Uncle Gabe arrived and we went to lunch at Joe Allen, a bistro that seemed to cater to the theater set. I turned my Cajun sandwich into a salad, Bayley ate a baked potato and claimed he was too full to eat his mac & cheese!

We made it back to the room and Bayley promptly fell asleep! He was out the entire time I got ready and registered for conference! It was ridiculously hard to get him to wake up so he could take the train to DC!

The Pink Heart Society: Travelling Tuesday :: The RWA National Convention ...

2011-07-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Travelling Tuesday :: The RWA National Convention ...: "3/4 of The Pink Heart Society editorial staff is mired in jet lag, but this year's RWA National Convention was worth every tired minute! ..."

RWA WORKSHOP :: VARIETY & UNPREDICTIBILITY IN CATEGORY ROMANCE

2011-07-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

VARIETY & UNPREDICTIBILITY: the key to success in category romance with Joanne Grant & Meg Lewis

We’re seeing a reliance on the same conflicts and themes. Writers are approaching stories by using themes and concepts – I’ll write a Greek hero and marriage of convenience

What is unpredictability? An unpredictable story delivers a compelling happy-ever-after that takesthe reader on an unanticipated cliché-free and emotionally engaging journey

Unpredictability isn’t

• Far fetched plot twists
• Characters acting out of character
• A mash-up of genres for the sake of it
• And excuse to replace conflict for plot devices

What we’ll cover today

• How to bring some unpredictability to your stories and ensure they are fresh and unique
• We’re not changing series guidelines or asking for radical differences

Put characters first!

• We’re looking for character-driven not plot-driven stories
• Start by creating two interesting original characters with a compelling story to tell
• Make sure they have emotional barriers (conflict) to overcome before falling in love with and committing to the other.

Know the characters inside out – real, rounded people with depths and layers. If you plan and execute them well, the conflict and the story should present itself

Conflict :: Emotional character driven conflict is the foundation of a satisfying romance. The most interesting conflicts are the ones which should drive yours story are internal there is also room for external conflict but use with caution!

Internal

• Bad experience of relationships in the past 0 heroine’s ex-boyfriend turned abusive
• Parents had a terrible marriage

External

• Hero and heroine are working together
• See the other hugging member of the opposite sex
• Heroine gets pregnant

What is internal conflict?

• We need the characters to each have emotional obstacles to covercome before they can get together
• Their relationship should feel like a journey in which they both change and grow, it will end happily but how will they get there
• The journey should b full of highs and lows, plenty of tension.

External conflict should only be brought in as additional support o the developing romance and plot. Using obstacles like simple misunderstandings doesn’t work. This is frustrating to the reader and cannot sustain a story.

Top 5 romantic conventions

Marriage of convenience – question whether actions and reactions are believable – what would you do. Check motivations are water tight and believable. Dig deeper, do you need a marriage of convenience?

Marriage on the Rocks – question whether you have a strong enough reason to end the marriage in the first place. Dig deeper and find different twists on this. Look at what is happening in the media for inspiration.

One Night Stand / Secret Baby – not every one night stands ends up in a baby, sometimes contraception works. Is it fully motivated? A well constructed character can entice any reader to follow them. One night stand = plot device to get a baby into the story. Don’t sweep things that don’t work under the rug, confront it head on

Traumatic Past – is the emotional implications and repercussions of the eventthat are fascinating. Emotional exploration – heart-wrenching not depression. Don’t judge, don’t go into the nitty gritty! How does the event affect the characters and how does this affect the relationship

Revenge / Blackmail – motivation must be based on more than misunderstanding. Life is never black and white. The revenge stories often need to be the most complex. Don’t be afraid to give the characters flaws.

Other ways to bring uniqueness ::

Breaking Conventions – sailing close to the wind and getting away with it. Can you tackle a more controversial theme in a series romance. Infidelity, impotence so you’er pregnant, must they marry. Maybe she’s the boss.

First Meets – execute them differently to try something new. Common examples one-night stand is your boss, bump into each other (car crash)

Settings – write about what yuou know or use your imagination, but don’t be afraid to explore new territories

Voice – don’t try to emulate – innovate and be yourself! Infuse your writing with your own author voice and personality. We want originality, not a paint by numbers romance. No amount of workshops can teach you this.

It’s all about the characters. Stretch your imagination and take them on a journey where they grow and change. Compelling conflicts should drive the romance. Internal conflict is the key, external can support Twist the conventions and surprise your reader. Be original!

What keeps you reading when you see submissions in the slush pile? Voice immediately grabs your attention. Next is seeing the story is unique and fresh with compelling characters. Being plunged into a situation where you don’t have to think, You are just there with them. You get a sense of the characters and their conflict and where they are going.

RWA WORKSHOP :: SEX THROUGHOUT HISTORY

2011-07-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

SEX THROUGHOUT HISTORY with Delilah Marvelle

I bet you didn’t see this in history class!

EGYPT :: Even Egyptian gods masturbated. Ra masturbated his children into existence. Egyptians believed in sex after life, so mummies have been found with artificial penises and women had large, ornate fake nipples.

GREECE :: Used sexuality to titillate and intimidate. The ultimate punishment for an adult male was to be sexually assaulted. If a man learned his wife was cheating, he had the right to bugger the man committing adultery with her.

KAMA SUTRA :: Young women were taught as part of preparation for marriage. Men were expected to honor and live by them. Includes how to relate to your partner, not just sexually.

1st English version published in 1883 by Sir Richard Burton, when he formed the Kama Sutra society

AMERICA :: Cornflakes were created as a anti-masturbatory tool. John Harvey Kellogg was a doctor specializing in rehabilitating masturbators. Men & boys were circumcised to lessen the sexual experience. He would apply carbic acid to the clitoris so a woman would never be able to experience orgasm.

EUROPE :: Hysteria – a woman’s clitoris was massaged by a physician until orgasm, and then given a dildo for further treatment at home.
In the 1600, they started dressing up the condom with ribbons. Condoms were made from linen or intestine, and moistened by soaking in water or milk…and then cleaned and reused! Goodyear invented the rubber condom in 1844.

In the middle ages, women got their first period around 20. In the Victorian era, women were closer to 17. Women are so well nourished now, periods are starting considerably earlier.
Quality control in the Georgian period? They would blow up the condom to check for holes!

Merkin – decorative patch of hair. First reference in 1450. Lice was prevalent, so prostitutes shaved the pubic area, and took mercury for syphilis her pubic hair would fall out. A merkin would cover up the fact that they were diseased.

Harris’s List – Samuel Derrick was a struggling author who was frustrated that no one appreciated his genius, so he went to a bar for a drink. He watched a man go up to another man and describe what kind of prostitute he wanted. Jack Harris told him where to go, for a fee!

Jack Harris would test out every single lady and write a review (Covent-Garden Ladies). Samuel Derrick expanded on the idea, had the ladies pay to be listed, and published it annually!

Misconceptions of chastity belts – not just for women! Men had them to prevent masturbation. Mentions during the renaissance, not really mideivel. Created for conversation pieces, not actually used. Victorians used the chastity belt.

The practice of hiving – applying honey to your nether regions, bees are released. Sharp stings are thought to receive pleasure while maintaining chastity.

In history, men celebrated for their sexuality. Women were villified.

LORD BYRON :: The Brad Pitt of his day. People were fascinated. Said to have sex with over 300 women, on being his half-sister. Though that because of his sexual prowess, he must be eccentric to the point of insanity.

MARQUIS DE SADE:: Believed in extreme freedom – no censure of sexuality, religion, politics. He did a lot of writing while jailed or in an insane asylum. Justine & Juliette – two sisters, one who did everything right morally but is unhappy, and the one who had torrid escapades and was happy. Napoleon ordered his arrest after reading it. Loved food, was a good husband and father. Many of his escapades were fictionalized.

CASANOVA :: Sex addict. Loved women, but wasn’t adverse to experiences with men. Secretary, soldier, lottery director, chemist, spy, librarian…hung out with Mozart and Voltaire. Not a very good looking guy, but he genuinely listened to women and seemed to want to understand them, which was his main attractive pull. Suffered from dozens of venereal diseases.

HENRY SPENCER ASHBEE :: Author of My Secret Life – a log of his sexual experiences with women.

MARIE ANTOINETTE :: A victim of her era, simply for being a woman. Princess de Lamballe was her best friend. When Marie Antoinette was seized and held captive, Princess de Lamballe came to her aid. Pamphlets were created claiming they were lesbians, going into wild detail about dildos. 9/3/1792 – her home was stormed. She was raped repeatedly, hit with hammers until she passed out, her breasts and pubic regions were sliced off, she was disemboweled and her head was put on a spike. They took the head to Marie Antoinette’s cell and forced her to it.

RWA WORKSHOP :: THE CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGE

2011-06-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

The Contemporary Challenge: How to write 300 pages of romance without demons, death, or world destruction with Julie James and Beth Kery/Bethenny Kane

5 topics that anyone writing a contemporary romance should consider

Characters: How to make ordinary characters likable and immediately compelling. Give your characters characteristics we all can identify with. 2 tricks -- make me feel bad for them or make me like them. Open with a scene that makes characters sympathetic – unable to sleep at 3am because hotel neighbors are having a sex marathon, someone knowing they are about to get fired. Open with a scene that makes them likable – showing them being successful at work it shows they are ambitious, show that other people like them. Readers like people that others like. Show the character doing good things, catching the bad guy, something heroic within the modern world.

The alpha hero in the contemporary romance. Paranomal heroes can be almost beastial, primal. If your hero is very alpha, give him a quirk or vulnerability. Very macho, brusque character can also be an artist and wear glasses. Make him appealable to a larger audience. Make him sick so the heroine has to heal him a little bit. An alpha guy head over heels in love who will do anything for his lover softens his alpha qualities. Make sure if your best girlfriend described his as her new guy, you wouldn’t tell her to run. Give him a best friend who is not an alpha. Humanize them through their friends or pets.

Stakes: complicate a plot, keep the pace building. There is usually a plot and a subplot. Plot is the romance, subplot is whatever else is going on. You need a strong conflict right from the beginning. You have to show how these two people who we know will end up together, will not be getting together on page 50, or 100 or even 200. What keeps them apart once they start liking each other. There can be more than one conflict – initial conflict can be that they annoy each other, and then becomes concerns about getting involved with anyone due to work or something.

Subplot is often the set-up of the book. She witnessed a murder and the FBI agent needs to protect her. Often involves a job. The stronger the characters motivations in the subplot, the stronger the emotions will feel. If the heroine is trying to get a job, show why she needs this particular job in order to make it a motivation. Subplot increases the conflict, tension, motivation.

Adventure in a contemporary romance is falling in love. High emotional stakes. Build and inner world that is believable for why these people aren’t having a happily ever after by page 50.

Pacing should be two steps forward, one step back. In a high emotion scene, cut away to a scene involving other people. Gives readers a relief from being angsty and overly emotional. There has to be some degree of emotional risk.

Romance & relationships: Building sexual tension helps keeps the focus on the relationship. Sexual tension is all about conflict. If things are too easy, there is nothing to drive the story. H/h immediately at odds – like fighting for the same job – sets them at odds and create tension would be external conflict. A past falling out creates internal conflict.

H/h feel conflicted about how they feel about one another. The slow burn, Mr. Darcy / Elizabeth Bennett effect. They do not want to like each other, but they can’t seem to help the attraction.

Body language is very important, the way people look at each other can really ratchet up the tension.

Relationships with your main characters and others. Friends and family. People have friends, siblings, kids, co-workers, old friends, enemies, they don’t exist in a vacuum. Gives a different impression of the character when seen with people she likes, rather than someone she’s conflicted by.

Prior relationships can factor in as well, because it is reality. Exes are very useful in contemporary. Past relationships shape who we are and provide conflict. Walking in on your fiancé sleeping with another woman and she vows to never have anything to do with another womanizer. So of course, the hero in her story would have to be a womanizer. You can’t have cheating, be careful that the reader won’t feel bad if the person the character is currently dating is dumped, but they also can’t be evil because that means your character has bad judgment about people.

Levels of sensuality – sweet and innocent to sexy and erotic. Be comfortable with whatever sexual interaction you are writing. Make sure every sex scene drives the plot, reveals character, is emotionally driven (even if it is driven by anger or desperation) and there for a reason.

Settings/series/extras: Create a rich, textured world. Create a locale that readers want to visit, a place to escape to. Pick a location that matches the tone of your book. Big cities for a fast paced, sarcastic book. A small town for an emotional, family-driven story.

Locations for individual scenes should match your setting – wine bars in a big city. Cities could have hustle and bustle or elegant anonymity.

Extra things you can add to make the plot feel richer – light suspense. If heroine owns a wine store use Napa Valley, giving a wine tasting, going to a wine party. Show them being good and comfortable in their environment. Build intimacy, comfort for your characters and your reader.

Building a series can build readership – family, a group of friends – you can also use locale – a beach resort or a small town. Bringing in characters from a previous book links them, and readers love it.

Choose something that you know and are comfortable with. It will come through and make the story more genuine.

Craft/Research: Ideas come from anywhere and everywhere. Things that happen to you, things you read about, things that happen to people that you know. Take interest and watch people’s behaviors.

You should research a contemporary. People love to talk about themselves. You won’t get in everything you learn – you’re not writing a book on how to be a lawyer – but that you know it creates a tone that carries through in your descriptions.

RWA WORKSHOP :: MONEY TALKS

2011-06-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

MONEY TALKS: the best kept secrets of digital authors with Maya Banks(Samhain/Desire/Berkley), Toni Blake/Lacy Alexander , Lindsey Faber (Samhain managing editor) & Heather Osborn (Samhain editorial director)

Samhain is a digital first publisher specializing in romance and now horror.

Samhain’s most recognized authors. Maya Banks, Lauren Dane, Loreleigh James, Vivian Arendt, Dana Marie Bell, Shelli Stevens

Sales come from

1) Amazon Kindle
2) B&N - grows every month
3) Samhain direct bookstore
4) Fictionwise
5) Sony
6) Kobo
7) Apple
8) Other bookstores combined

Vendors are hard to compare because they pay differently with different invoicing – monthy, quarterly, annually. Sales are growing exponentially.

Amazon December 2010 210K copies, 310K copies January 2011

B&N January 2010 8K copies, January 2011 72K copies

Samhain sales numbers in the first 2 years, as of March

Best selling Erotic range…8K-25K copies…a novel-length book on sales on Amazon is about 1.35/copy, Non-erotic…2K and above…over 50K copies

Midlist Erotic range…6K - 15K…achievable for most who write erotic romance for Samhain, Non-erotic…1K-2K

Lowest selling Erotic range 200-2K, Non-erotic Below 1K

The key to making a living as an author is consistent publishing. 2-4 releases a year is the sweet spot for staying on a reader’s radar.

Pricing – based on length, 2.50-6.50. The 99 cent frenzy in self-publishing is flooding the market, but not effecting publishers, just other self-publishers. Books need to be affordable, but readers are willing to pay for quality.

Kindle giveaways – give away 3 titles every month. 1 for the month, 2 for 2 weeks. Great exposure. Like to entice with the first in a series or a backlist book. Lauren Dane’s Giving Chase is free tomorrow for a month.

If you’re going to self-publish, you need to be your own publisher and you don’t want a crappy publisher. Hire the best editor, copy editor, and cover artist you can.

Self-publish or e-publish. Keep your time in consideration, Do you want to write books or publish them? Do you want to deal with editing, formatting, marketing, cover art, dealing with book sellers?

Aside from Kindle giveaways, what kind of promoting do you do for your authors?

Web banners on websites, ad in RT, discounts on preorders and new releases from Samhain’s store, promote Samhain for brand awareness. Co-op with Barnes & Noble. Relationships with review sites, newsletter, blog
How do digital releases feed into the sales of your traditional releases? Each feeds the other. Ebooks come out faster, so you can build and audience while waiting for a traditional book to come out. Better promo than anything else, plus it makes money rather than costing money.

RWA WORKSHOP :: GOING VIRAL

2011-06-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

How to build your brand using social media and the web – Jayne Ann Krentz, Stella Cameron Sheri Brooks (Purple Papaya), Cissy Hartley (WritersSpace)

Facebook changes in the last year – spam filter, option to convert a personal profile into a professional page, sponsored stories for advertising, streamlined promotion guidelines meant no more contests on Facebook pages.

Frequency of posting on Facebook and Twitter – not more than once a day so people see more from their friends than from you.

What to put on Facebook – share with your readers, but don’t over share. A little bit about yourself, but nothing about family kids, where you live, if you’ll be out of town. The key is getting the interaction.

Mailing list :: You have 50 characters in a subject line to grab attention and get readers to open your newsletter. Determine what you want to communicate, your goal, and build your newsletter around your subject line.

Contests have always been the best way to grow your mailing list. What you want to do is have all of your Facebook fans on your mailing list. The more you can do to cross link them, the better. You need to have those readers cataloged on your mailing list in case anything happens to Facebook.

Use a service or software to send the posting. Phpmail is software you can use if your host allows. Icontact, writerspace, they go up in price as your list grows.

Facebook contests :: Facebook never allowed contests, people just didn’t look for the rules until they were updated in May. People used to have people comment to win, but that is not allowed, and can compromise your status with Facebook. You can have an app created for you (upwards of $10K), or have a form created using a form service with an opt in and privacy policy

Basic legal issues :: Have your privacy policy, and know where your contest will be open – international, US, NA…every company has its own sweepstakes law. To offer a contest in Quebec you have to register with the government 30 days ahead and provide them 10% of the win. Post official rules.

Advertising options

• Facebook – advertise your page, your book…ads link directly back to your page. 30 words and a horizontal picture (vertical is too small)
• Website – banners and chatrooms
• Contests – big prize giveaways (Kindle) grow your mailing list faster, but keeping it to people who love your books make for a cleaner list.
• Goodreads :: growing in popularity, but it gets to the point where you need to decide if the time it takes to work it is worth it for the number of people you reach.

GooglePlus – another social network, will probably be more personal than facebook.

Utilities to customize your facebook page – ihtml – adds tabs to your page – used to make it so you can’t get to the entry form before you like the page.

Is there still any value to myspace? No, it’s the abandoned amusement park of the internet. Value for indie music types, but not really for writers.

What To Expect When You're At Conference :: Goody Room

2011-06-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, the goody room. This year, the stash of author promotional material was supposed to be paper free since the amount of paper trashed after conference is usually cringe-worthy. But, there is a plethora of paperish stuffins.

Bookmarks, excerpts, pens, nail files & candy are the norm. I love when people get creative. Here's what I found ::

What To Expect When You're At Conference :: Food

2011-06-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

It's impossible to make everyone happy all the time, and so conference chicken was invented. It takes many forms, but it's something you can count on. Kind of like frizzy hair in humidity. At a conference there will always be chicken, otherwise, how would we break the ice with the strangers at the table?

With conference chicken as our benchmark, the nosh at parties is either better or worse.

Romance Diva's Cocktail Hour? One barstool up from conference chicken.

Samhain Author Breakfast? A chair up from conference chicken.

Passionate Ink Buresque Soiree appetisers? One chair down from conference chicken.

ESPAN Chapter Tea? A wingback chair up from conference chicken.

PASIC Industry Reception's desserts? Two chairs up from conference chicken.

Secrets From The PAN Retreat

2011-06-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

I’ve never figured out why the PAN and PRO exclusive panels are called retreats. When I think retreat, I’m thinking a babbling brook, yoga, and comfy clothes. This was standing room only in a

STEVEN AXELROD, The Axelrod Agency

40% of ebook reader owners say they read more now than they did when they read print books.

ROBERT GOTTLEIB, Trident Media

A small percentage of self-publishing authors are making a living from it.
The fiduciary responsibility between a author and an agent gets blurred when the agent tries to be a publisher.

MATTHEW SHEARER, St. Martin's Press

Publishing has undergone changes and always grown from it. The last big change was the advent of the mall bookstore which led to big, blockbuster sales and series books that never existed before mall bookstores. Now, with the injection of ebooks, people are reading more and trying books that they never would have tried before.
75% of our business is still in print books.
ebooks are the equivalent of what mass market was when it was introduced.

LIATE STEHLIK, Avon/Harper Collins

Looking at how other forms of media made the digital transition and learn from what they did. We need to listen to the consumer and make digital content available to the consumer.
Free as a business model does not work, free as a marketing strategy does work.
On TV, we see that people are willing to pay for premium content (HBO) and as an author, quality is what you should be known for.

From Avon, look for...

Digital shorts to tie in to full-length works
Bookperk – Groupon model for author experiences
Avon exclusive content
Facebook contests

SAMHAIN AUTHOR BREAKFAST

2011-06-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Samhain authors gathered with the publishing VIPs this morning to share a few laughs and food. It was great to be able to put a face with the names of all of those we contact for help throughout the year. Everyone was just as nice and helpful as they are online.

Samhain is giving out free ebook downloads of your choice, so I snagged a few more of those cards. Everyone loves something for free! Plus, it’s a great way to make friends with the folks sitting next to you in workshops and luncheons.

Whats the news at Samhain? All is good, but look for a bit of a website update as the Horror and RetroRomance lines grow. Nothing big, just giving the lines more of a presence.

LITERACY SIGNING

2011-06-29T14:33:00.001-07:00

After spending the re-eye flight discussing Pokemon strategy with the tall boy, the morning exploring Times Square and the Empire State Building and the afternoon visiting with my brother before he and the tall boy escaped to Washington DC, I wasn’t sure I’d have the energy for the signing.

Lucky for me, caffeine worked wonders! I made it to the ballroom where the signing was hosted and my eyes nearly bugged out! There were so many authors there! Tables and tables of authors sitting elbow to elbow. I found my space…on the outside wall facing a dirty wall. Um, wow, brought my feet right back to the ground!

But, the placing turned out to be a blessing since it made it easier for readers to get to me. I was tickled to have so many readers seek me out to say they enjoyed Compromising Positions. They really made my conference. As did passing out Samhain’s free downloads cards and telling people they didn’t have to use it for my book, but they should! It’s only Tuesday, and I’ve already decided New York has been good to me 

The Pink Heart Society: Whatcha Readin'?

2011-06-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Whatcha Readin'?: "In which Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke ponders her reading material now that her boys can read over her shoulder. Quiet tim..."

Watch Out For That Tree!

2011-06-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Instead of indulging our Cheesecake Factory habit to celebrate brithdays, my girlfriends and I have been having bucketlist adventures. Not swimming with sharks or bungee jumping kind of things. Tamer, mommy-friendly stuff. Paula got a walking tour. Molly got a makeover. I decided to stretch our boundaries a bit with a zipline/ropes course!

I purposely didn't read much about Tree to Tree Adventure Park so I wouldn't talk myself out of going.

The weather was gorgeous, sunny with just enough clouds to keep it cool. We arrived and watched a quick video. Then we wrestled on our harnesses and hit the starter course.

I'd thought I could do the ziplines and leave the rope business to the adrenaline junkies. Not so, you have to do the rope sections to get to the ziplining parts. We started a few feet off the ground to get our bearings. Even so, it was hard to trust the zipline!

Once we'd 'passed' the course, we were let out on our own. There are 4 different courses - green, blue, red and black diamond. On the first course we had to climb across the section on rock walls suspended from the trees.

We crossed 'broken' bridges, rope bridges, a tight rope...and then this crazy caddywampus ladder thing that we all decided was the hardest part. Then, we were rewarded by getting to zipline to the ground.

The blue course had similar elements. Who knew there were so many ways to build a broken bridge? It also had a swing you step on that brought you to the next platform which was fun, and a tube you had to crawl through that was not. At times, we felt like a highwire circus act without the net!

We waffled over whether or not to try the red course. There are two ways to start, oneby climbing a ladder, or by doing the 'junkyard' which qualifies you to do the black diamond run. Even after a year of bootcamp, spin, and Zumba, Tina and I stood back and let the other girls try the junkyard. It consisted of a ladder, logs, tires, and a rockwall. Vertical. Like...4 stories up. I simply didn't think my arms could haul the junk in my trunk that high. Especially after Jen decided to come back down once she hit the tires.

Tonya made it though! I'm sure it helps that she is about a hundred pounds and a former marathon runner. Hey, we can't all be perfectly plump.

The rest of us climbed the ladder to start the course. We were suprised that some of the elements seemed easy now, but by this point it was our 4th rodeo. There were these ridiculous bouey things hanging down from the segments, and we never figured out what to do with them. They seemed to be castaways from an episode of Wipeout, always smacking us in the face!

All of this was just a set-up. You see, at the end of the red course comes the most terrifying element - the spiderweb! After boosting your confidence, you're supposed to hold onto a rope and swing to the next platform. Except there is a web of rope in your way...and you need to LET GO of the rope you are on and climb the web. I don't know about you, but I wasn't so keen on letting go when I'm three stories in the air! When told to let go, I may have said "I can't! I don't want to die!" Maybe. There is no videorecording of this shining example of my bravery.

After a resounding chorus of "That sucked" and "I'm never doing that again." we got to zipline to the end of the course. the ground never felt so good beneath my feet!

Distillery Tour...in a Pedicab!

2011-06-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

Since we've committed to taking time for a date once a month, I find myself looking for new things to try. When we saw that Distillery Row was throwing a party with PDX Pedicab to celebrate their Distillery Row Passport, we signed up immediately. I mean, doesn't it just sound like fun? To make it even better, the coy Oregon sun decided to show up.

We met up at the Jupiter Hotel, which has a funky rock-n-roll vibe. Plenty of seats in the courtyard and a DJ spinning, plus a bartender using the spirits we'd be sampling later to mix up some signature cocktails. Delish!

Once enough of us showed up, they started running the pedicabs to the distilleries. First up was Integrity Spirits where we got to try absinthe for the first time! I've always been curious, and though it takes some effort to prepare it, I can see why so many are in love with the stuff. YUM!

New Deal Distillery had the most amazing coffee liquers -- they even had two different brews! They also have a chocolate one called Mud Puddle...I mixed my coffee and Mud Puddle...and had to buy both bottles!

Deco Distilling did the tasting a little different - more how to have fun with spirits than how spirits are made. They even sell 'bartender in a box' to make mixed drinks easy.

The best tour was at House Spirits Distillery. We got to go back and learn the different kinds of stills, and how the different spirits are made. FASCINATING! I had no idea the artistry and mechanics that went into distilling -- or how the clean Oregon water is probably why Oregon has more distilleries than any other state.

We were able to see everything from the stills to the bottling and labeling. In the tasting room there was a display that showed the blend that goes into making Aviation Gin so delicious. They also mixed the whiskeys with Mexi-Coke. YUM!

Then it was on to Stone Barn Brandyworks where they do small batch brewing. We were able to see the latest oatmeal whiskey as it went through the process. They have a very eco-friendly philosophy there that I really liked.

The pedicabs took us between each stop with ease. We loved the light breeze, sunshine, and easy pace of it all. We never had the same driver twice, and they were all having fun along with us.

I think if anyone comes to visit, I'll take them on this tour. They'll think it's cool, and some of that might rub off on their impression on me!

The Pink Heart Society: Temptation Tuesday :: Choose Your Own Adventure

2011-06-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Temptation Tuesday :: Choose Your Own Adventure: "Where The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke divulges her current love for adventure. Last year for her birthday, in lieu of g..."

Las Vegas

2011-05-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love Las Vegas the way some people love Disneyland. I'd spend a weekend there every month if I had the time, and the money. It brings back childhood memories of swimming pools, buffets with exotic foods (like pineapple and shrimp, ooh-la-la), and arcades. Now, there are the actually exotic restaurants, shows and attractions.

Of course, when most people think of Vegas, they think of gambling. And I spent a fair amount of time hunting for my favorite slot machine - Invaders From The Planet Moolah! You can play it for pennies, and I always make money. But, since I play pennies, I win pennies.

We did a Craps lesson...and were utterly confused. We did a blackjack lesson...and I quickly learned that I need to practice on the machines before I start betting $5 a hand! Jeff did a poker tournament, but I think we're both more comfortable betting change than dollars.

All of the shows don't allow cameras...but we really loved O and Phantom of the Opera.

We treked to the end of the strip to check out the last day of the Sahara, which closed while we were at Stratosphere...a big problem, since we needed to go through Sahara to get to the monorail back down the strip!

At Stratosphere, Jeff had to try the rides he'd seen on TV. I hadn't seen the program, so I said I would do the one that looked like a roller coaster. Little did I know...it launches you off the side of the building and dangles you there!! Jeff did the one that twirls you beside the building, and the one that blasts to the top of the tower. Can't say I'll be trying either!

One of the attractions on my to-do list for this trip was Sigfried & Roy's Secret Garden @ The Mirage. I wanted to take pictures of the animals, plus the weather was so gorgeous I wanted to be outside!

We could get amazingly close to the dolphins. They don't have show times, but interact with the trainers and the 'trainer for the day' participants often. Some day, I want to get in teh water with dolpins. But...not in a tank. Maybe in the ocean.

The big cats rotate through viewing exhibits, spending most of their time in their own lair. The white lions were gorgeous, and the white tiger cubs (born at the facility) were quite playful.

Any city with dozens of posh restaurants is bound to have some haute cuisine (natch). We had a great time tasting as much as we could. We learned the pre-show pice fixe meals are a great deal, and a wonderful way to see what a reataurant is all about. With just a few options for apps, entree and desert chosen to expedite your meal so you don't miss your show, you can get in, get out, and probably come back later for more!

When we saw Phantom of the Opera, we went to Pinot Brasserie @ The Venetian. The pre-show menu was very limited so we ordered the same thing - salad, filet, and croissant chocolate pudding...wait, Jeff opted for ice cream over the pudding. Shocker.

When we saw O, we went to Fix @ Bellagio. This was our favorite restaurant of the entire trip! We decided to order different things from the menu and share. For starters, we had the creamy tomato soup with goat cheese grilled cheese and the Fix version of a Caesar salad. Delish. Next came truffle penne and filet mignon. Amaze. We finished up with cake and shake (chocolate cake & an espresso milkshake) and banana doughnuts with chocolate and peanut butter dipping sauces. Bliss!

Another favorite was Spago @ the Forum Shops. We went for lunch, but instead of getting lunch, we opted for 3 appetisers instead so we could try more things. The quesadilla was our favorite, though both the calamari & chicken sausage pizza were great.

We also made quite the breakfast find in The Sugar Factory @ Paris. Red Velvet pancakes anyone? What about french toast with carmelized bananas and two kinds of chocolate sauce? A brie and ham crepe topped with apples and toasted almonds? Eggs Benedict on scalloped potatoes instead of a soggy English muffin? Next time we're in Vegas, we'll be there every day before noon!

The Pink Heart Society: Wild Card Weekend - In Vegas!

2011-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Wild Card Weekend - In Vegas!: "The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke has a mad obsession with Las Vegas. In fact, she just got back, and it trying to plan anot..."

The Pink Heart Society: Writers Wednesday : Slushing Through

2011-05-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Pink Heart Society: Writers Wednesday : Slushing Through: "Where The Pink Heart Society editor Jenna Bayley-Burke slinks in late to talk about...waiting. THE WAITING Patience is not a virtue I po..."

Foodalicious : Apple Brie Braid

2011-05-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

bread dough

apples

butter

brie

egg wash

(the perfect holiday breakfast bread)

Tangled

2011-05-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

How cute is this movie! Rapunzel is one of my favorite stories because the princess has a hand in her own rescue. This made the hero out to be a bit of a dolt, but whatever works for comedic effect!

I found the animation very pretty in this film, and however they animated the hair really worked. The animation was lost on the kiddos, the boys loved the thugs from the pub and the girl loved Rapunzel and the horse, Max. She wasn't a fan of the villainess, Gothel, but no one is supposed to be.

My big one had a few basic concerns - like who built the tower in the first place, did it have indoor plumbing, how the chameleon made it up there, and how Rapunzel got enough vitamin D if she stayed inside all the time.

I just made him another bowl of popcorn. I don't think that boy will ever buy into the suspension of belief!

Leftovers

2011-05-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing my crockpot chicken noodle curry at The Pink Heart Society today. And it's making me hungry. I know what's for dinner tonight!

RCRW Spring Intensive

2011-04-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

Agent Alexandra Machinist flashes some YSL bling

My local romance writers group had a wonderful gathering last weekend. It had all the perks of a conference - meetings with editors and agents, classes, panels, brainstorming sessions - without any of the drawbacks - crowds, travel fees, poor food options.

I love that our chapter can host events like this, even if they are over Easter weekend. Here are my recaps of all the events my camera and I attended.

Workout Wednesday : Personal Training

2011-04-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Biggest Loser fascinates and terrifies me in equal measures. I would love to take 4 months off from life and just focus on getting back to my regular weight. BUT, I would not love working out until I puke or having someone scream at me. Plus, who wants to weigh in wearing a sports bra when your belly is hanging out?

Thank goodness not all personal trainers are like that! And it doesn't have to be a weekly commitment either. Lisa developed a program I can do at home around the girl, and since she has 3 kids she understood the limitations, and how hard it can be to take off the baby weight after the 3rd kid. It's like your body is hanging onto the chub, sure you're just going to get preggers again.

Lisa also teaches the Cardio Jam class I like so much, so she checks in with my progress and struggles periodically. Plus, she taught Diva's baby ballet class, so she was able to witness the baby girl antics first hand!

For me, personal training helped give me a plan for days I can't get to a class. I don't even have to do the whole plan, just bits of it along the day. I plan on going back in the summer to try and get some ideas for taking the at-home workout outside.

Romantic Times Review!!!

2011-04-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

4 1/2 stars

Seriously!

Can you feel how excited I am about finding a review from Romantic Times magazine for Private Scandal? Thrilled! And to make it even better? It has an awesome quote ::

"As juicy as a soap opera and more fun than a day at the beach."

Author Secrets Interview

2011-04-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

I'm telling secrets at Behind the Book on Author Secrets...OK, so Maggie is outing me. Whatevs!

And...Private Scandal is the #2 bestseller at Samhain's store which is a really good sign :D

Walking Tour

2011-04-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

My girlfriends and I always get together to celebrate our birthdays kid-free. This year, we're trying to be more adventurous than the Cheesecake Factory. So we went on an Epicurian Excusion from Portland Walking Tours.

I never would have found myself doing a salt tasting if not for the tour. The Spice & Tea Exchange let us try different salts on cucumber slices. I even had my mom buy some smoked salt so my BBQ contest loving brother could experiment with it.

At this point...we wanted food! Thank goodness Chez Joly was so generous with their samples. Crostini, crepe, and French onion soup. We spied a $25 price fixe dinner on their menu (salad, entree, dessert & wine) so may be returning.

We spent a lot of time at the next stop, The Park Kitchen...but didn't eat much. The garbanzo bean fries & squash ketchup were tasty, and the idea of making your restaurant as sustainable as possible is great...it just went on a little long. It would have been more interesting if the explanations were illustrated by the samples they served...which is probably easier for them to do in the summer.

Next, we went to the EcoTrust building for Hot Lips Pizza to sample the seasonal variety - a squash sauce with broccoli & hazelnuts. I really like the juice sodas they make.

Finally, we got dessert :) Cool Moon ice cream served chocolate sorbet & trail blazer swirl and let us taste whatever else we wanted. Then, it was a quick hop on the street car back to the hotel we started at.

I had a great time, but I wouldn't take the tour again until the summer. Maybe things would have changed more by then. Is it worth the money? We got it on a special, which helps. If you know your way around Portland, you could get much more food for less money. But then, if you know your way around Portland, you might not be interested in the tour!

Guess Where I Am?

2011-04-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm not Where's Waldo or even Matt Lauer, so I better just tell ya.

PLOTMONKEYS!

I know, cool right?

It's like I have a book out or something...

2011-04-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

Check out my guest blog at Romance Reader @ Heart Novel Thoughts

Go on...I'm talking reality TV...

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry with Noodles

2011-04-20T01:18:00.000-07:00

In my house, the crock pot is for pot roast and split pea soup. We've tried other recipes, but always wind up ordering pizza. Until...I dreamed this little number up.

It is easy enough for kids to prep. No joke. You need a crockpot, frozen chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) a can of coconut milk, a jar of curry sauce, and a box of rice noodles.

What an unappetising picture!

Turn the crockpot on low, drop in the chicken thighs (5 or so) pour the curry sauce over, add the coconut milk, cover and ignore for the day.

6 or 8 or 10 hours later, stir the curry...the chicken shreds itself!

Submerge the rice noodles...wait 10 minutes...or 40. Whenever. And voila! Chicken and noodles!

I know, I know...the kids eat curry? Yes, happily - even my pickiest one. Because I use mild curry. But, it's fantastic with pretty much any kind of curry. And if your careful about the jarred curry sauce? Gluten free. Can't beat it.

You can find jars of curry sauce in the Asian food section of the grocery store...I found this one at Albertsons!